OLDER people are being left out in the cold by the Government’s policy on tackling fuel poverty, a Help the Aged expert said.

Mervyn Kohler, special adviser to the charity, said the Warm Front scheme to improve fuel efficiency was grossly under-funded, while extra benefits to top up the low state pension were not taken up by many of the pensioners who need them.

Mr Kohler spoke out in support of the launch of the Lancashire Telegraph’s “Dying from the Cold” campaign yesterday.

We are calling for more help and support, both from the Government and in the community, for older people.

Hospital figures show 38 people from East Lancashire died from respiratory diseases in just six weeks in December and January, as icy weather took hold.

Mr Kohler said that although fuel prices have risen by up to 50 per cent in real terms since 2003, many pensioners were still struggling to survive on £150 per week, while more than £5 billion in benefits went unclaimed because of the over-complicated forms and poor communication from Government.

More than one in five homes containing a person over the age of 75 have no central heating at all.

He said: “Low income is a defining factor of fuel poverty, leaving some older people on fixed incomes unable to afford to heat their home.

“In addition, a home that is not energy efficient is more expen-sive to heat.

“So those with higher incomes can still suffer fuel poverty because a larger percentage of their income is being spent on heat-ing their home.” The Fuel Poverty Advisory Group advised last year that £1 billion per year needed to be spent every year until 2016 on the Warm Front scheme to meet the Governm-ment’s target of eradicating fuel poverty.

But just £320million is allocated for this year, and £295 million for 2010/11.

Mr Kohler said that only half of the homes improved under the scheme had a resident over the age of 60, and less than a quarter were occupied by single over-60s.

He said the system was complex, means-testing put people off, and the £2,700 upper limit on the grants meant that some older people could be left with huge extra bills for insulation work.

He said: “While we welcomed the Government’s original target to eradicate fuel poverty for older people by 2010, the Government is now failing to achieve this.

“Fuel-poor households simply don’t have enough income to heat and power their homes adequately.

“The consequences are multiple debts, the forgoing of other essentials, ill-health and mental stress.

"A promise of free heating and insulation should mean just that, but it is not what people are getting.”