Government taken to court for breaking pledge to abolish OAP fuel poverty by 2008

A failure by the Government to end fuel poverty for millions of the vulnerable will be highlighted in a highly embarrassing test case today.

Green and "grey" campaign groups are taking ministers to the High Court over their pledge in 2000 to wipe out the problem.

Friends of the Earth and Help the Aged say the Government did not put in place the measures needed to bring this about.

With this judicial review, the groups are trying to force Labour to meet the targets set in the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act – that fuel poverty would end for vulnerable people by 2010, and for everyone else by 2016.

Today, around 4.5million are in fuel poverty and this figure is likely to remain in the millions for many years to come.

Fuel poverty is defined as needing to spend more than ten per cent of disposable income to have a warm home and lighting.

Increasing numbers are forced to choose between buying food or turning on the central heating.

Help the Aged and Friends of the Earth argue that more funds are needed to help millions insulate their homes and install energy efficient boilers.

The Government has slashed funding to the Warm Front scheme, which was set up to carry out this work, by 25 per cent.

Special Adviser for Help the Aged, Mervyn Kohler, said: "The Government's fuel poverty strategy is a fiasco and all too often, older people are the casualties.

"For those living in fuel poverty, the daily reality often means pain and misery, illness and even death."

He said the Government "must take responsibility for its inadequate and passive response".

Ministers are also accused of failing to ensure that the "big six" power companies make meaningful efforts to switch vulnerable customers to cheap social tariffs.

The Government has rejected calls from some quarters for a windfall tax on the energy giants to raise the money needed to fund a major home efficiency programme.

Friends of the Earth spokesman Ed Matthew, said: "By failing to back the highest levels of energy efficiency in the homes of the fuel poor, the Government has missed an opportunity to both end fuel poverty and bring down carbon emissions.

"Its strategy is incompetent and lacks vision.

"Today we take the Government to the High Court to make it put an end to the misery of fuel poverty."