The British Gas Energy Trust has called on the Prime Minister to adopt what it describes as a place-based plan to end fuel poverty, publishing a letter and an accompanying policy paper on 23 July 2026 that set out five national priorities for government1.
The Trust said the plan is intended to improve living standards and deliver warm homes across Britain, and that it had written to the Prime Minister arguing that tackling fuel poverty would support the government's economic growth mission and healthier communities "in every postcode"1. The policy paper identifies fuel poverty as one of the most significant barriers to raising living standards, with millions of households continuing to struggle with unaffordable energy costs1.
The five priorities the Trust sets out for government are1:
| Priority | What the Trust proposes |
|---|---|
| National mission | Adopting a national mission to end fuel poverty, backed by cross-government leadership and accountability |
| Energy affordability | Delivering an energy affordability guarantee through a social tariff and a national energy debt strategy |
| Warm, efficient homes | Ensuring every household can access a warm, energy-efficient home through long-term investment in housing and retrofit |
| Local delivery | Empowering local leaders to deliver place-based solutions tailored to community needs |
| Community organisations | Investing in trusted community organisations providing advice, support and crisis prevention services |
The Trust cited its own frontline figures as evidence of the scale of need. It said that in 2025 alone it supported more than 72,000 individuals, distributed over £14.3 million in grants, and helped households manage or write off tens of millions in debt1. It said its programmes show that combining debt relief with advice and community-based support delivers lasting improvements in financial stability and wellbeing1.
"The British Gas Energy Trust has today called on the Prime Minister to adopt a bold, place-based plan to end fuel poverty, setting out five national priorities to improve living standards and deliver warm homes across Britain."
The Trust argues that fuel poverty is not solely an energy issue but sits at the intersection of income, housing, health and inequality, and warns that without coordinated national action millions will remain locked out of economic participation while demand on the NHS and local services continues to rise1. It calls for partnership between government, industry, local leaders and the voluntary sector, and says ending fuel poverty should be seen as an investment in the country's future rather than a cost1.
Why it matters for households
The proposals go to the two things that determine whether a home can keep its energy costs manageable: the price paid per unit and the amount of energy the building needs in the first place. A social tariff and a national energy debt strategy, as the Trust frames them, would sit on the affordability side, changing what households are asked to pay rather than how much energy they use1. Long-term investment in housing and retrofit sits on the other side, addressing the fabric of the home itself1.
For a household, the distinction matters because the two routes to energy independence are not interchangeable. Debt relief and advice can stabilise a budget in the short term, which is what the Trust says its funded partners deliver alongside grants1. Insulation, heating upgrades and other retrofit measures change the underlying demand for energy, but the Trust gives no figures for how many homes would be covered, over what period, or at what cost, and none of that has been reported1.
The place-based element is also relevant to households outside England, since housing, energy efficiency programmes and fuel poverty definitions are handled differently in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust's paper is framed for Britain as a whole and does not set out how its five priorities would interact with those devolved arrangements1.
What happens next
The Trust has published its letter and policy paper and is calling for partnership between government, industry, local leaders and the voluntary sector1. No response from the Prime Minister or from any government department has been reported, and no timetable for the proposals has been set out1.
Sources1 cited
- British Gas Energy Trust Calls for Plan to End Fuel Poverty, britishgasenergytrust.org.uk