Gordon Marsden, Member of Parliament for Blackpool South today welcomed an extra £225 million deal brokered by the Government to help lift 100,000 homes out of fuel poverty.   

Mr Marsden, who has taken up a number of constituents concerns over rising fuel prices as part of his campaign to lobby fuel companies on protecting vulnerable groups, commented: “I know that people in Blackpool have found it difficult to cope with rising fuel costs, and this extra £225 million will help households struggling to pay their bills. In Blackpool this new money will be targeted at people on low incomes who are most vulnerable to fuel poverty including the elderly, families with children and residents with disabled or suffering from a long -term illness - who are especially vulnerable.” 

The £225 million is being stumped up by Energy Companies in a deal brokered by Energy Secretary John Hutton. The agreement follows the Chancellor Alistair Darling's announcement in the Budget that the Government would give a one-off payment Winter Fuel Payment of £50 for households with someone over 60 and £100 for households with someone over 80 in winter this year.  

Mr Marsden continued: “Thanks to the Government getting the energy companies together we could see up to 100,000 homes across the country benefit from this new help for the poorest households who struggle to keep their homes warm in the winter. This is on top of the £2 billion pounds spent this last winter by the Government on Winter Fuel Payments which helped around 12 million people to heat their homes.”