Commons Sense

House of Commons · Adjournment Debate

Fuel Poverty in Manchester Gorton

20 October 2022 · 1 other contributor

Opened by Afzal Khan Lab Manchester Rusholme

EconomyHousingEnergy

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Afzal Khan raised concerns about fuel poverty in manchester gorton in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

Key points

  • The MP highlighted severe cost of living crisis affecting constituents who struggle with heating homes and affording basic necessities.
  • The Minister acknowledged the issue and cited multiple government initiatives like the Energy Price Guarantee and Warm Home Discount scheme to support millions of households.
  • The Minister mentioned long-term measures including the Energy Company Obligation programme and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund to upgrade social housing stock for better energy efficiency.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Afzal Khan Lab Manchester Rusholme

The MP highlighted the severe cost of living crisis, citing constituents who struggle with heating their homes and affording basic necessities. He provided specific examples from his constituency, including a constituent limiting energy use to avoid high bills and food banks reporting increased demand for fast-cooking meals due to soaring costs. Khan emphasised the impact on health, education, and mental well-being of children in fuel-poor households. He criticised the failure of previous government initiatives like the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme and called for a comprehensive retrofitting scheme that would create green jobs and help working-class families.

Other contributors (1)
  • Jeff Smith Lab Manchester, Withington

    He agreed with Khan's comments about the need for addressing fuel poverty through energy efficiency improvements.

Government Response

Dean Russell

The Minister acknowledged the severity of the issue and highlighted multiple government initiatives aimed at alleviating fuel poverty, including the Energy Price Guarantee and the Warm Home Discount scheme which will support millions of households. He also mentioned long-term measures such as the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) programme and the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, which aims to upgrade social housing stock to improve energy efficiency. The Minister reassured constituents that these schemes would help alleviate financial burdens and provided details on local authority delivery schemes targeting vulnerable households for energy improvements.

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