Reportedly, over the last four winters in England and Wales nearly 120,000 older people have died of the cold. According to the report, an older person dies every seven minutes in the uk from the cold. Reportedly, campaigners say that excessive winter deaths are more to do with poverty than freezing temperatures, mortality rates are higher than much colder countries such as Finland, Norway and Sweden.
Reportedly, Alone, the organisation that supports older people to live at home has issued an open letter to the minister of social protection, minister for environment, climate and communications, and minister of state for mental health and older people calling for action on fuel poverty. According to the report, the letter calls for an increase in fuel allowance for the remaining season, an immediate increase, one that takes into consideration the dramatic rise in inflation, to ensure no older person has to choose between heating and eating.