Liberal Democrats back greener and warmer housing

12.01.00pm GMT Wed 7th Mar 2007

Colin Ross

Liberal Democrats from West Midlands were in Harrogate for the Liberal Democrats' conference last weekend to back a move to make housing in West Midlands warmer, greener and more affordable.

The Liberal Democrat plans that were debated on Sunday would:

• Help lift pensioners and disabled people out of fuel poverty;

• Cut the number of excess winter deaths in the West Midlands;

• Make it easier for families to insulate their homes and cut fuel bills;

• Aim to more than halve the amount of polluting carbon emissions produced by homes in West Midlands

A recent government study found 153 households living in fuel poverty in West Midlands, 7% of all households in the region. Government statisticians have calculated that, across West Midlands, there were 2,800 excess winter deaths, of whom 2,700 were pensioners.

Local Liberal Democrats are backing proposals that would see fuel bills for local people fall dramatically and carbon emissions from homes cut by over half by 2050.

West Midlands Liberal Democrat campaigner, Colin Ross said, "Making the West Midlands a greener, cheaper and more sustainable community must be a top priority. This is why I and my Liberal Democrat colleagues voted in favour of these plans to cut carbon emissions from homes by more than half. This would save families here in the West Midlands a lot of money currently being poured into the gas and electricity companies' pockets."

Commenting on the specific proposals, Colin Ross said, "Many people in the West Midlands can't afford to heat their homes properly. 2,800 people in the West Midlands died last winter who shouldn't have. It's disgraceful that pensioners can't afford to heat their homes. I want to see help targeted to enable older people and those with disabilities to increase the energy efficiency of their homes and reduce their fuel bills. Standardised packages including a range of insulation, draught-proofing and window, heating and light replacement would help improve the energy efficiency of all homes in the West Midlands. It should be simple maths: less energy wasted equals lower fuel bills, fewer excess winter deaths, less pollution and a greener West Midlands."