West Lancashire pensioners 'to get help with bills'

Article date : 17/09/2008

Heating bills for 750 pensioners in west Lancashire will not rise more than a quarter, a report says.

The tenants who live in sheltered accommodation pay the council, rather than the energy companies, for their utility bills, the Lancashire Telegraph says.

Rather than passing the costs to the elderly, the council will use £18,000 of reserve money to try to keep down the cost of the heating bills.

A limited income is available to the elderly who live in the sheltered housing, councillor Val Hopley, whose portfolio is housing, tells the paper.

Over 1.5 million pensioners could face fuel poverty after increasing home heating bills, the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) previously warned.

Paying ten per cent of an income on fuel bills left the elderly with a choice between heating and eating, vice-president of the NPC Syd Ashby said.

Installing an energy-efficient condensing boiler can cut energy bills, the Energy Saving Trust advises.

Combined with central heating systems with full heating controls, households can expect to save up to £270 in heating bills, the trust claims.

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