Fifteen per cent of homes in Southwark are living in fuel poverty, a Labour party study has found.
Approximately 20,000 households in the borough are struggling to keep their homes warm and well lit this year.
The findings come just one day before the government is set to lift the energy price cap, which will see energy costs surge by 54 per cent on average.
This crippling increase is likely to push people further to the brink in the coming months.
Yet fuel poverty in Southwark is around the average for London.
Boroughs Barking and Dagenham, Newham and Waltham Forest have the worse fuel poverty in the capital, with more than 20 per cent of households facing grim choices on whether or not to heat their homes.
The City of London, which is also one of the richest London boroughs, has the lowest amount of fuel poverty at around 6 per cent of households.
Fuel poverty occurs when a household must spend more than 10 per cent of its income on energy.
But the government recently broadened the definition to include homes where fuel costs are above the national average, and where meeting these costs pushes the household below the poverty line.
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While most households across Southwark will feel the effects of April’s energy price hike, those on low incomes will face more pain as they are typically reliant on pre-paid metres, which are more expensive than other alternative forms of energy.
Many factors are increasing fuel poverty in Southwark and the wider country.
The cost of energy is rising rapidly as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, meaning households need to spend more of their income paying fuel and electricity bills.
Many of Southwark’s homes are also poorly insulated, which allows lots of heat to escape, and they have old and inefficient heating systems.
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To solve the crisis, Labour is calling for an immediate cut to VAT on energy bills and a windfall tax on energy companies, alongside an extension on the warm homes discount, which together could save households between £200 to £600 per year.
Oil giants BP and Shell are on course to make a combined profit of £40 billion this year.
The government has offered households a £200 loan to offset energy costs, which will be repayable over the course of five years.
“For months now, Londoners have been telling me agonising stories about the sacrifices they’ve been forced to make including deciding whether to cook a meal or whether to heat their home,” said London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
“The story is the same up and down the country and the Government’s response? A dodgy loan that no one asked for. Labour has a comprehensive strategy to bring costs down and ensure our ongoing energy security through investment in renewables,” he added.
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