Public Services & Fuel
At a time when public services have undergone significant cuts, strain is evident in terms of both demand and what can realistically be delivered. The cost of public transport, cuts in legal aid and the closure of public services such as libraries all have an impact on people who are trying to get out of poverty.
Although budget reductions have led to reduced capacity within some services, there are still opportunities to coordinate services to those residents that find themselves in poverty in a much more effective way. This will require cross sector cooperation to ensure that residents are able to access the services and support they need to lift them out of poverty or prevent them falling into it.
A household in “fuel poverty” if they have fuel costs which are above the national median level, and if, that they were to spend that amount they would be left with an amount below the official poverty line. At a national level, 3.2 million people are currently “fuel-poor”.
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Salford Building in Warmth
by Aneaka Kellay, Carbon Co-op Carbon Co-op launched a video to coincide with Fuel Poverty Awareness Day 2019, showcasing Salford Building In Warmth, a partnership project with charity National Energy Action (NEA), Helping Hands and Salford Council that brings together energy experts, local handy people and neighbours to tackle fuel poverty. With effects on health,
Campaign for Better Transport
By Darren Shirley, Chief Executive of Campaign for Better Transport Imagine not having any transport. No car, no affordable train service and no buses. How do you get to work, or to college or to medical appointments? For many people on low incomes this is all too common a reality. According to the Office of
Better Buses for GM
Our Buses in Greater Manchester aren’t working Article written for GMPA by Pascale Robinson Right now, bus operators can’t be forced to run any service, and they set the fares, but in the next year, we have a huge opportunity to change this wild west scenario. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham is deciding now whether
Help with your water bill
Don’t suffer in silence – that’s the message from United Utilities if you’re struggling to pay your water bill. “If you’re going through a tough financial patch and are finding it hard to pay your water bill, please get in touch with us on 0800 072 6765. We’re easy to talk to and the sooner
Warm Homes Fund
New scheme offers free central heating for local residents 500 homes across Greater Manchester will get a new central heating system fitted for free thanks to the Warm Homes Fund. The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has secured £1.8 million from a national fund £150 million established by National Grid and administered by Affordable Warmth Solutions.
Access to Justice
Struggling families disqualified from justice despite Supreme Court verdict This was the headline for an article published by the Law Society last week. “Poverty-hit families are being denied vital help to fight eviction, tackle severe housing disrepair and address other life-changing legal issues, the Law Society of England and Wales revealed today.” The article went
Furniture Poverty
Waste is a poverty issue and it’s a central theme of Greater Manchester’s new Furniture Poverty Hub. In the UK, we throw away 10 million items of furniture and electrical appliances each year. It’s estimated that nearly 6 million items are repairable or reusable. Furniture poverty charities need a constant supply of reusable items to
Fuel Poverty Awareness
Fuel Poverty Awareness Victoria Egerton leads on Research & Campaigns at Citizens Advice Manchester and is a member of GMPA’s Fuel Poverty Special interest Group. This article outlines some of the issues behind Fuel Poverty, the support that people need, and invites you to a morning of training and discussion on Fuel Poverty Awareness Day,
Tackling Fuel Poverty
Tackling fuel poverty across Greater Manchester Electricity North West, the region’s power network operator, is represented by Jonathan Collins in GMPA’s Fuel Poverty Special Interest Group. Here, his colleague Lauren Webb writes about their work with Energy Saving Trust and the development of a referral network to provide support for fuel poor households in Greater
Fighting Fuel Poverty on the Front Line with Naila Naila Ilyas is a member of GMPA’s Fuel Poverty Special interest Group. She works as an energy adviser for Northwards Housing, a social landlord managing council homes in some of Manchester’s most deprived areas. This article profiles Naila’s work, which over the last three years has
Fuel Special Interest Group
GMPA’s network is continuing to grow, with increasing numbers of charitable organisations, community groups, as well as councillors and council officers from the ten boroughs, health and social care professionals, those working in higher education and members of the general public. GMPA has brought together specialists to consider how we might take joint action on
Tackling Fuel Poverty
This article was first published in 2014 With over one million families in England struggling to pay their fuel bills, action to help those in fuel poverty has never been more urgent. One in six English families with children are in fuel poverty according to the latest figures from the Department for Energy and Climate
