Title: Age Concern and Help the Aged comment on the Audit Commission's report 'Lofty Ambitions - the role of councils in reducing CO2 emissions'

Andrew Harrop‚ Head of Public Policy for Age Concern and Help the Aged‚ said:

'The winter fuel payment (WFP) provides much needed financial help to many older people who struggle to heat their homes due to high energy costs‚ poorly insulated housing and a low state pension. 

'An advantage of universal payments is they get to all older people‚ including the very poorest and most vulnerable‚ who often miss out on means-tested financial support due to the complexity of claiming. 

'While WFPs don’t provide a long-term solution to fuel poverty‚ in 2006 the payments were responsible for taking around 200‚000 households out of fuel poverty in the UK. 

'In an ideal world‚ the WPF wouldn’t be necessary because people would have a sufficient pension to pay their heating bills‚ but the reality is more than 2 million pensioners live in fuel poverty and the WFP is still an effective way of getting additional help these people.

'A new fuel poverty strategy and a national energy efficiency programme is the only long term solution to lifting millions of people out of fuel poverty‚ but until this is carried out‚ the winter fuel allowance will continue to help millions of pensioners stay warm at winter.'