MORE than 10,000 households in Warrington are struggling to pay their fuel bills, figures suggest.

Data from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy shows that an estimated 10,401 Warrington households experienced fuel poverty in 2019.

But at 11.6 per cent of all households in the area, that was slightly below the average across England of 13.4 per cent.

A household is considered to be fuel poor if they live in a property with low energy efficiency and would be pushed below the poverty line by housing costs and the energy bills needed to have a warm, well-lit home.

Nationally, around 3.2million households were estimated to be fuel poor in 2019.

Campaigners say the number of people across England unable to keep their homes warm is a ‘national scandal’, which is not being helped by the demise of schemes like the green homes grant.

This was launched in September to help homeowners install energy efficient improvements, but it was recently scrapped having helped less than 10 per cent of the homes it aimed to nationally.

Across different neighbourhoods in Warrington, fuel poverty rates ranged from 2.3 per cent to 26.7 per cent in 2019.

But these estimates are based on small sample sizes and should be treated with caution.

Simon Francis, co-ordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said councils have a ‘huge role to play’ in alleviating fuel poverty, including by improving local housing and using central government grants to help those most at risk.

"Crucially, local authorities can ensure better enforcement of existing regulations on energy efficiency and property standards in the private rented sector,” he said.

The Local Government Association said councils are committed to improving home energy efficiency and tackling fuel poverty, but called for longer-term funding to help them achieve national net zero ambitions.

A government spokesman said 1.3million fewer low-income households are living in the least energy efficient homes compared to 2010.

“We are committed to levelling up all regions of the UK, ensuring nobody goes cold in their own home, no matter where they live,” they added.

“That is why we recently announced £500million in funding for local authorities to upgrade homes of thousands of low-income households across the country, many in deprived areas.”