ROOF Blog

Thousands of people have begun relying on food handouts to free up money to spend on heating during the recent spell of freezing conditions. The Trussell Trust, a Christian charity that runs a network of food banks across the UK said the cold has led to an unprecedented demand for its parcels, which contain enough donated items to keep a family fed for six days. And research by Age Concern has shown that, despite government relief, one in five older people skip meals to save money for heating. The charity has urged ministers to do more to ease pressure forcing elderly people into the ‘cruel choice’ between food or warmth.

With demand for gas rising sharply, Britain’s gas reserves are running low, meaning the country is more reliant on imported gas bought on the international market. Imported energy is more expensive, and rising demand across Europe this week caused natural gas prices to jump to their highest level in 10 months. That triggered warnings from energy analysts that power companies may use the cold snap as justification for another increase in domestic bills. Tom Foulkes, director general of the Institution of Civil Engineers said: ‘To avoid energy crises and price hikes in the future the UK energy sector must urgently build extra gas storage capacity into the network. We simply cannot continue to rely on unpredictable overseas supplies’.

Thousands of homeowners in municipal tower blocks are facing potentially huge bills, as councils rush to improve fire safety precautions in the wake of a blaze in London earlier this year which killed six people. Leaseholders in one high-rise building have already been asked to pay up to £15,000 each, after an emergency fire brigade inspection found a series of potential dangers and ordered immediate work including re-wiring the building and replacing fire doors. Experts on tower block fire safety believe that a significant proportion of high-rise blocks remain unsafe, in part due to a lack of maintenance of features such as fire doors, but also because of botched renovation work over decades.

Housing and Planning Minister John Healey has proposed a more consumer-friendly green rating for homes that will promote energy efficient properties and reduce future utility bills by up to £1500 a year in the most energy efficient homes. The Code for Sustainable Homes was ratified in April 2007 as a standard to measure improvement in the overall sustainability of new homes. Mr Healey is proposing changes in the Code to make it easier for consumers, whether they are developers or individuals simply wanting to grade and track the sustainability of their properties. Mr Healey said: ‘Our homes account for a quarter of UK carbon emissions, so it’s clear they are a vital part of our efforts to tackle climate change. The Code has proved its worth but now is the time to make it a more user-friendly standard for consumers. In the future, this will help drive uptake so people will save more money on bills and reduce the carbon footprint of new homes.’

Energy secretary Ed Miliband is to announce new legislation to meet UK targets on energy emissions. The biggest investment is expected to be in renewable energy –  wind farms and nuclear power stations –  but energy companies will pass on the cost which is estimated to add £230 to household energy bills.

The number of people over 65 filing for bankruptcy has almost tripled in the last five years, figures from the Insolvency Service suggests. The firm believes the increase is down to more people entering retirement with unpaid debts, and also blamed rising food and energy prices. During the same period the total number of bankruptcies for the entire population rose 89 per cent.

The government has underestimated the cost of installing smart meters for gas and electricity nationally by £6 billion, according to Ernst & Young. Last week ministers agreed to roll out 47 million new smart meters across the country, for an estimated cost of between £7 and £9 billion – an average of £269 to £346 per household. Ernst & Young estimates the true cost would be at least 49 per cent higher and could cost each household up to £515.

A consultation into the Town and Country Planning Act concerning homes in multiple occupancy (HMOs) was launched yesterday. The department for Communities and Local Government wants to identify ways of improving the problems occurring in areas with a high density of HMOs, such as antisocial behaviour and litter. The prospect of tighter legislation has not been well received.

Meanwhile the House of Commons has backed a second reading of the Green Energy Bill, which will allow people to provide their own sustainable heat and power. The Bill requires the government to produce further strategy on the growth of the microregeneration sector and to get rid of red tape surrounding planning permissions for things like heat pumps and wind turbines.

The body responsible for regulating housing in Scotland is to be reformed in a move to make it independent from ministerial control. The new plans propose that ministers would not have the power to control the Scottish Housing Regulator, but they would maintain a limited say in matters such as remuneration, staffing, pay and fees. The plans are detailed in a draft Housing (Scotland) Bill consultation.