Fuel poverty more likely to affect those in rural locations

People who reside in more rural areas of the UK may be more likely to experience fuel poverty than those in the cities, government data has revealed.

Fuel poverty refers to a situation in which more than ten per cent of the household income is spent on energy bills. This high proportion out of a monthly wage may well lead to financial problems and can cause households to become indebted.

The figures for English local authority districts in 2009, compiled by the department for Energy and Climate Change, revealed there were seven districts in which more than 30 per cent of households were suffering from fuel poverty.

The area which suffered from the greatest proportion of fuel poverty was the Isles of Scilly, with 40.9 per cent, followed by Eden in Cumbria at 38.3 per cent, East Lindsey in Lincolnshire – 33.2 per cent, Herefordshire – 32.2 per cent, West Somerset – 31.7 per cent, Shropshire – 30.3 per cent and Torridge in Devon at 30.2 per cent.

This contrasts with 16 authority areas which had less than ten per cent of the population in fuel poverty including urban areas like the City of London, Richmond-upon-Thames and Oxford.

Categories; Current UK Economy, Income Worries and Debt,