Countryside Alliance briefs MPs ahead of fuel poverty debate

Please find below a briefing note ahead of the House of Commons Adjournment Debate on "Fuel poverty" (Paul Scully, Con, Sutton and Cheam) on Tuesday 14 March 2017.

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The target of eliminating fuel poverty in the UK by 2016 has not been achieved. Fuel poverty affects approximately 2.38 million households in England, representing 10.6% of the population, and is a major problem in many rural areas.

More households in rural areas are in fuel poverty than the national average and fuel poverty has been shown to increase with rurality. Households in rural areas are more likely to be off the gas grid and reliant on more expensive fuels such as oil and electricity. Only 8% of households in urban areas are not connected to the gas grid, compared to 36% of households in rural areas.