In response to the increases of Warm Front grants from £2‚700 to £3‚500 for customers on the gas grid‚ and up to £6‚000 for those off the gas grid‚ Michelle Mitchell‚ Charity Director for Age Concern and Help the Aged said:

“This is great news for older people who have repeatedly raised concerns about the disparity between the grants available under the Warm Front scheme and the cost of the work needed to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. We are delighted that ministers have listened to these concerns and taken decisive action to improve the scheme.
 
“The scheme must work hard to target the poorest customers who often miss out on support because they don’t claim benefits.  With over 2.5 million pensioners living in fuel poverty‚ we hope ministers will now lay down a deadline for the energy companies to abolish unfair pricing policies for people paying by cheque‚ cash and pre-payment meter and move quickly to publish a new long term strategy for eradicating fuel poverty”.

(Age Concern England and Help the Aged have joined together to form a single charity dedicated to improving the lives of older people.)