The End Fuel Poverty Coalition has published estimated fuel poverty levels for each English Parliamentary constituency, calculated on the basis of the average household energy bill rising to £3,000 a year from 1 April 20231. The figures are predictions from modelling rather than measured outcomes, and the Coalition states that they sit at higher levels than the English Government's own narrow definition of fuel poverty1.
The estimates give a household count and a percentage for each constituency. Among the published entries, Birmingham Hodge Hill has the highest rate in the sample at 56.29 per cent, or 24,040 households, followed by Birmingham Ladywood at 51.62 per cent (26,538 households) and Birmingham Erdington at 50.60 per cent (22,378 households)1. At the other end, Beaconsfield is given as 12.34 per cent (5,400 households), Bracknell as 13.29 per cent (6,089 households) and Chesham and Amersham as 14.05 per cent (5,640 households)1.
| Constituency | Region | Households | In fuel poverty from 1 Apr 2023 | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aldershot | South East | 43,858 | 7,314 | 16.68% |
| Aldridge-Brownhills | West Midlands | 34,815 | 10,237 | 29.40% |
| Amber Valley | East Midlands | 40,570 | 12,760 | 31.45% |
| Barking | London | 48,835 | 20,673 | 42.33% |
| Barnsley East | Yorkshire and The Humber | 41,912 | 17,971 | 42.88% |
| Birmingham Hodge Hill | West Midlands | 42,704 | 24,040 | 56.29% |
| Cities of London and Westminster | London | 61,008 | 11,220 | 18.39% |
| Leeds Central | Yorkshire and The Humber | 61,669 | 29,496 | 47.83% |
The Coalition describes the estimates as covering households it expects to see "experience suffering as they are unable to heat their homes adequately or run vital equipment (such as ovens or charge medical equipment)"1.
"It is based on the Government increasing the average household energy bill to £ 3,000 a year from 1 April 2023"
Figures for Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish constituencies are not available at present, so the release covers England only1. The Coalition advises that anyone using the data publicly should use a rounded number, giving the example that for Aldershot it should be said that "around 7,000 homes are struggling in fuel poverty"1. The full table and a downloadable spreadsheet are published alongside a separate methodology and assumptions page1.
Why it matters for households
The estimates put a local number on fuel poverty in UK households, which is otherwise usually reported at national level. For a household, the constituency figure is a rough indication of how many neighbours are in the same position, and it reflects the point at which the average bill reached £3,000 a year. The Coalition's own caution about rounding matters here: these are modelled predictions, not counts of individual homes, and the Coalition notes they are higher than the Government's narrow definition1. That gap means the same household can be counted as fuel poor under one measure and not under another, which is why the fuel poverty rate in England and the local fuel poverty statistics do not always agree with constituency-level estimates. For energy independence in the home, the practical variable is the size of the bill relative to the household's income and the energy performance of the property, not the constituency label. The wider UK home energy statistics set out how prices, consumption and fuel poverty data fit together.
What happens next
The estimates take effect from 1 April 2023, the date on which the £3,000 average annual bill is assumed1. No further release date, update schedule or revision to the constituency figures has been reported.
Sources1 cited
- Constituency fuel poverty statistics - End Fuel Poverty Coalition, endfuelpoverty.org.uk