Following electricity supplier NPower’s announcement of double-figure rises in gas and electricity bills, Mayor candidate Siân Berry has urged Londoners to vote for her plan to provide free insulation to every London home that needs it.
Siân said:
"As oil and gas get scarcer, we can expect to see more and more rises in the cost of heating. Londoners have an opportunity on 1 May to insulate themselves from the cold and the cost by voting for my plan to insulate every home that needs it for free.
"There’s no excuse in a 21st century city for having widespread fuel poverty, with people having to pay huge chunks of their income just trying to keep warm. There’s no excuse for winter deaths of elderly Londoners who could have been saved by something as simple as loft insulation. And there’s no excuse for government failure to cut CO2 emissions, or for their willingness to blame ordinary people instead of their own inaction.
"Under my plan, every single home in London that needs insulation will get it, free of charge. This will slash fuel bills, making London living more affordable and healthier. We’ll also put a real dent in our carbon footprint and help to ensure a future for our kids.
"40% of London’s CO2 emissions come from housing, and more than 1 in 20 Londoners have to spend over 10 per cent of their income trying to keep warm. Fuel poverty like that belongs in Dickens’ London, not ours. That’s why, as Mayor, I would provide free insulation to every London home that needs it."
Londoners on benefits qualify for free insulation under measures introduced by the Green Assembly Members as a condition of their support for the Mayor’s budget. Siân’s scheme will remove this means testing, as well as introducing a comprehensive outreach programme to encourage take-up.
The Green AMs have also secured funding to pilot detailed help with paperwork for householders in Lewisham who wish to insulate their homes and generate their own power; Siân will extend this service city-wide, and make low-cost loans available to pay for small-scale renewable energy generation on homes and businesses.