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GOVERNMENT SUED FOR FUEL POVERTY FAILURE
FRIENDS of the
Earth and Help the Aged on Wednesday 9 April 2008, taking the
Government to court, for not doing enough to meet its legal
obligation to eradicate fuel poverty. The 2 charities are
campaigning for the Government to develop a far more effective and
comprehensive programme of domestic energy efficiency, to
simultaneously end suffering from fuel poverty and tackle climate
change.
Despite the Government being legally bound to eradicate fuel poverty
for vulnerable households by 2010 and for all households by 2016,
nearly 3 million households in England are still struggling to
adequately heat their homes. The Government currently estimates that
by 2010 there may still be 1.3 million vulnerable households in fuel
poverty, nearly the same number as at the time of the Government’s
Fuel Poverty Strategy in 2001.
The 2 charities are filing their judicial review application, the
legal procedure used to challenge public authorities; with the High
Court. Their case highlights:-
· Government failure to provide a comprehensive and costed plan of
action for meeting its targets;
· Government failure to set a minimum standard of energy efficiency
to be applied to affected households;
· Repeated criticism of the Government from the independent Fuel
Poverty Advisory Group;
· The Government’s own admission that targets to reduce and
eventually eliminate fuel poverty are likely to be missed.
Ed Matthew, Low Carbon Homes Campaigner at Friends of the Earth,
said:- “By failing to back the highest levels of energy
efficiency in the homes of the fuel poor, the Government has missed
an opportunity to both end fuel poverty and bring down carbon
emissions. Its strategy is incompetent and lacks vision. Today we
take the Government to the High Court to make it put an end to the
misery of fuel poverty.”
Mervyn Kohler, Special Adviser for Help the Aged, said:- “The
Government’s fuel poverty strategy is a fiasco and all too often,
older people are the casualties. For those living in fuel poverty,
the daily reality often means pain and misery, illness and even
death. When fuel costs fell the Government was happy to take
the credit for falling fuel poverty figures. Now that the energy
market has changed and the importance of domestic energy consumption
has grown, it must take responsibility for its inadequate and
passive response.”
Friends of the Earth and Help the Aged are calling on the Government
to:
· Clearly set out how it will meet its legal obligation to eliminate
fuel poverty, what the costs will be and how its plans will be
funded.
· Establish a mechanism for accurately identifying all those
households suffering from fuel poverty.
· Recognise that ensuring high levels of energy efficiency provides
the key long-term solution to ending fuel poverty
· Set a minimum standard of energy efficiency for all households
being treated for fuel poverty
· Set up low-carbon home zones in every local authority in the UK in
areas where fuel poverty is concentrated. The fuel-poor households
in these zones should be treated street by street, house by house to
the requisite energy efficiency standard. |
Search on for the North of England’s Best New Stand-up Comedian
THE search for the
region’s Best New Stand-up Comedian is part of the annual Festival
of Fools which takes place at Muncaster Castle in the Lake District,
the home of the legendary Tom Fool.
2 finalists will go head to head at the Comedy Cabaret which kicks
off the Festival on Saturday 24 May 2008. The winner will receive a £750
cash prize.
The competition is
open to anyone aged 18 or over from the North of England who had not
performed stand up regularly, either paid or unpaid, before 1 January 2007.
Peter Frost Pennington from Muncaster Castle says:- “Jesters
like Tom Fool were arguably the earliest stand up comedians so it
seems appropriate to host a competition for their modern day
counterparts.
The North of
England has a strong reputation for producing some of the country’s
best stand up acts, so we’re hoping to find the man or woman who
will be a future star on the comedy circuit.”
Famous northern funny men and women have included Eric Morecambe,
Steve Coogan and Victoria Wood. Peter Kay studied stand-up at the
University of Salford as part of a degree in Media and Performance,
before going on to become one of Britain’s best known comedians.
Anyone who wants to take part in the competition simply needs to
submit an application form together with a film of up to 8 minutes
in duration showing them performing their own stand up routine.
The
films can be sent to Muncaster on a DVD or entrants can email a link
to their film on a video sharing website such as YouTube.
Further details about how to apply and competition rules are
available at
www.muncaster.co.uk.
Entries can either be emailed to
info@muncaster.co.uk or posted to:-
The North of England’s
Best New Stand-up Comedian
Muncaster Castle
Ravenglass
Cumbria
CA18 1RQ
The closing date for
entries is 13.00 on Wednesday 14 May 2008. The two finalists will be
selected on Monday the 19 May 2008. The winner will then be decided by
an audience vote at the Comedy Cabaret.
The runner up will
receive a £250 cash prize. The 2 finalists will need to be
able to perform a stand up routine of between 6’ and 8’ at the
Comedy Cabaret at Muncaster Castle on the evening of Saturday 24
May 2008.
They will also need to be available for a rehearsal and photocall at the Castle at 12.00 on Friday, 23 May
2008.
Accommodation and
dinner will be provided on the 23 May 2008 and the 24 May 2008.
The Festival of Fools, which is sponsored by Jennings Cumberland
Ale, runs from Saturday 24 May 2008, until Thursday 29 May 2008.
As well as the
Comedy Cabaret there will be a wide variety of entertainment during
the day from Sunday through to Thursday.
More details are available
on the Muncaster Castle website. |
