Fuel Poverty

fuelThe cost of fuel and oil affects the day-to-day lives of many residents in Penrith and The Border. Our rural isolation means that having a car is a necessity, not a luxury. Our isolated, traditional homes are far more difficult and expensive to heat, and generally depend on oil tanks. Fuel bills are now one of the most difficult of family expenses.

I pressed for Wigton to become one of the first ‘smart-grid market towns’ in the UK and I am keen for as many communities as possible to pilot green deal projects. I want to encourage cutting-edge technology, which allows us to understand our energy usage, helps us to cut our bills and enables companies to distribute more efficiently.

“HELP WITH DEBT IS AVAILABLE”

With Debt Awareness Week taking place this week, Rory Stewart, MP for Penrith and The Border has today called on constituents to ensure they are taking advantage of free help and support available for anyone struggling with winter energy bills. Rory said: “Nobody should suffer in silence and there’s a range of help and advice for any constituents […]

RORY TO SLEEP OUT ON THE PENNINES

PENRITH and the Border MP Rory Stewart will spend this Saturday night sleeping in one of the highest and coldest places in England to raise awareness of Cumbria Community Foundation’s Winter Warmth Appeal. He’ll be joined by CCF’s Chief Executive Andy Beeforth and supported by members of Penrith Mountain Rescue Team. They’re hoping their freezing […]

RORY GETS BEHIND WINTER WISE CAMPAIGN

Rory is encouraging his constituents to make sure they have taken appropriate steps to ensure their homes are ready for Winter, as temperatures set to drop this week. Rory has made tackling fuel poverty a priority in his constituency, and is now getting behind United Utilities’s Winter Wise campaign which looks to offer homeowner’s advice and guidance on […]

RORY PROMOTES NATIONAL ENERGY ACTION AWARD TO TACKLE FUEL POVERTY

Rory has urged Cumbrian communities tackling fuel poverty in their area to nominate themselves for an NEA Community Action Award, with the chance to win up to £3500 for their local project. The Community Action Awards aim to reward projects throughout England which demonstrate excellence in the field of tackling fuel poverty and improving energy […]

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rory urges constituents to check for their cold weather payments

Following what has been a very cold few weeks, the Department for Work and Pensions has automatically released additional support for thousands of local recipients in the Penrith and the Border area, which Rory is highlighting to constituents. Cold Weather Payments are made to eligible benefit claimants who live in postcode districts linked to Met […]

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rory welcomes government help to keep poorest warm this winter

Rory has welcomed £357,000 of funding for the Cumbria Affordable Warmth Partnership to help keep some of the poorest people in Cumbria warm this winter. The investment comes from the government’s ‘Warm Homes Healthy People’ fund which invited local authorities to bid for money from the Department of Health to reduce deaths over the winter […]

rory helps launch cumbria’s ‘share the warmth’ winter appeal

Rory has joined fellow Cumbrians the Bishop of Carlisle James Newcome, Sir Melvyn Bragg, Sir Chris Bonington, and fellow MPs Tim Farron and Sir Tony Cunningham to help launch Cumbria Community Foundation’s 2012 Winter Warmth Fund Appeal. The MP for Penrith and the Border on Friday joined school children at High Hesket Primary School to […]

Rory supports energy saving week ahead of winter

Rory this week gave his support to Citizens Advice as it launched its Big Energy Saving Week (22-27 October) to help people cut their winter fuel bills. The campaign aims to give people practical advice on how they can ‘check, switch and insulate’ to make savings on their energy bill. Fuel poverty is a key issue in the constituency […]

Rory supports APPG inquiry into issues affecting off-grid residents

The All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Off-Gas Grid has recently announced the launch of an inquiry into issues relating to fuels affecting off-grid constituents.  The inquiry will follow on from the recent work on off-grid fuel poverty by the Energy and Climate Change Committee and the 2011 market study of the off-grid sector by […]