Poverty Forcing People to Turn to Fuel Banks

In a church hall in one of South West London’s most affluent neighbourhoods, a fuel bank has opened to help those who cannot afford to pay for their energy bills. This is a pilot project run in ­partnership between charities including the Trussell Trust and funded by the energy giant npower. It is a radical new idea to tackle the “heat or eat” dilemma.  Fuel and food poverty go hand in hand. Research by Citizens Advice suggests one in six homes using energy meters disconnect supplies every year to save money. This means some 1.6 million people could be going without gas and electricity.  The npower scheme has three pilot areas – Durham, Gloucester and Kingston upon Thames. Read more on the Daily Mirror website.