Each consecutive winter for the past half decade has been colder - TopicsExpress

Each consecutive winter for the past half decade has been colder than the last in the U.K - Winters are becoming colder and are lasting longer. Last spring was the coldest in half a century - the cold killed nearly 30,000 people in the U.K. Tens of thousands of animals buried alive under snow drifts up to 20 feet high - animals then froze to the ground. The cold killed off colonies of bees - in Scotland alone the cold destroyed one third of bee colonies. The U.K is becoming colder... ..so what does the U.K Government do? They cut "The Warm Homes, Healthy People" fund which was set up to reduce cold weather deaths. ...despite winters becoming colder and lasting longer, the government cuts back the money which some seniors need to keep from freezing to death. ------------------------------------ Winter death fears as government help for old and vulnerable is cut A SCHEME to help vulnerable elderly people heat their homes this winter has been axed despite fears of further fuel price rises. The Warm Homes, Healthy People fund was described by Age UK as an “extremely necessary resource” which helped thousands of at risk pensioners last year. However the Government has quietly dropped the £20million scheme because local authorities have taken the lead over public health spending in England and Wales. The move comes as a Sunday Express investigation reveals average dual fuel bills have risen by 22 per cent since the Coalition came to power in 2010. Despite David Cameron’s pledge to take on the “Big Six” energy companies, homeowners with dual fuel bills are shelling out £249 more, bringing total annual charges to £1,353. Since January 2010 average gas bills have risen by £131 to £799 and average electricity bills were up by £105 to £540 in January this year. Ann Robinson, uSwitch director of consumer policy, said: “The cost of heating has reached unprecedented levels today and almost seven in 10 households (69 per cent) went without heating at some point last winter to keep their energy costs down.... "...In the eight weeks from mid-January this year excess winter deaths rose 6,500 above the five-year average. Campaigners fear another brutal cold snap this year could see a further spike in lives lost as pensioners are forced to choose between eating or heating their homes.."