I guess I should start with an introduction as this is my first blog post: I’m Jeremy and I work in the campaigns, policy and public affairs team.
I had heard of Macmillan’s campaign to freeze out fuel poverty before I had even started. For a while now Macmillan has been drawing attention to the fact that many people with cancer fall into fuel poverty because of their illness. Evidence shows that people living with cancer are more likely to keep their heating on for longer as a result of their treatment and recovery.
A new Energy Bill is currently going through Parliament which will make energy companies give more support to vulnerable people in order to help keep their energy costs down. Since the Bill does not explicitly set out who will benefit from this new support, the campaigns team wanted to try make sure that the most vulnerable cancer patients would be included in any plan. It was decided that the best way to do this would be for the team to go down to Parliament and talk to as many MPs on the committee as possible.
We were absolutely delighted by the response we got. A couple of days after our visit MPs from all parties spoke about the issues cancer patients face in regard to fuel poverty. In response the Minister said he would meet with Macmillan to discuss the issue further and that he would consult over the summer as to which groups will receive this new support.
This represents a significant step forward but we still need your help, if you haven’t signed our pledge please do.
Have you had to turn up the heat this winter? If so please tell us your story.
