Our capital’s mayor Sadiq Khan is turning up the heat with a £1million fund towards combatting London’s cold homes this winter.
The initiative called ‘Better Boilers’ starts in January and is aimed at replacing or repairing broken boilers, helping fuel-poor Londoner’s that will struggle to heat their homes this winter.
It’s estimated that fuel poverty affects more than a million people living in the city, 300,000 of which are children. The ‘Better Boilers’ scheme aims to help up to 500 struggling residents as well as slash household bills by £150 and save up to 310 carbon emissions every year.
Official figures by the London Assembly reveal that the number of households in the capital unable to afford heating has increased by 26% between 2012 and 2014. Mr Khan believes: “it is shocking that more than a million Londoners live in fuel poverty. In a great city such as ours, people should not have to choose whether to heat their homes or buy food.”
“I am committed to making our capital a city for all Londoners and part of that means people being able to heat their homes and live in comfort as well as breathe cleaner air. This scheme is another step towards achieving that.”
Paul Goulden, Age UK London chief executive, said: “We’re glad the Mayor of London is tackling this issue and hope the pilot scheme will succeed and be extended so no older Londoner ever has to make the choice between heating and eating again,”
The £1m scheme is due to be rolled out in January – find out more information about your eligibility and how to register your interest for the scheme here.
