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The situation today

Since the turn of the century nearly 160,000 older people in the UK have died from cold-related illnesses such as bronchitis and strokes.

Fixed incomes, rising fuel prices, housing conditions and the attitude and behaviour of older people all play their part in contributing to the scandalous number who die each year, not counting the thousands more who suffer in misery.

What we are calling for

• Free central heating and insulation for all pensioners as is the current practice in Scotland.
• A raise in the Winter Fuel Payment or the Basic State Pension to take account of the rising costs that older people face.
• More investment in new technologies for older people's homes, such as affordable 'greener' energy alternatives in homes where insulation cannot be fitted.

Statistics that shame

In 2005-06, over 23,000 older people in England and Wales died of preventable, cold-related illnesses. The year before, according to the Office for National Statistics, 29,000 died unnecessarily.

Millions of older people live in misery during the winter months because they can't afford to heat their homes. 1.5 million households with older people living in them don’t have proper insulation or heating. 50 per cent of UK homes occupied by 'fuel poor' older people do not have cavity walls that could be insulated.

These statistics shame the UK. Figures for ‘excess winter deaths’ in England and Wales are far higher than in other European countries, such as Sweden, with a similar climate.

The Government, health services, private companies and we as a society must say ‘no more’ to tens of thousands of older people dying, cold and alone.

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Poverty

The key factor causing older people to die from cold is poverty. Low pensions, low benefit take-up and sky-high fuel costs mean that more than 5 million older people in England cannot afford to heat their homes properly.

Older people are paying for their poverty with their lives, with those living in rural and deprived areas being hardest hit.

Every older person should be provided with an adequate pension, that is enough to pay for household heating, clothing and food, whatever their background or situation.

A low income is a death sentence for many older people, and there is an urgent need for the benefits system to be overhauled. This will ensure that older people are getting the financial assistance they need.

Energy companies, local authorities and others should also introduce immediate reductions in costs for vulnerable older people.

Substandard housing

A further key contributor to older people’s deaths from the cold is the low standard of housing in the UK. Too many homes are damp, draughty and hard to heat: many fail to meet the Government's minimum standards for a warm, quality home.

Poor housing is putting the lives of hundreds of thousands of older people at risk, every single winter.