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Findings from the British Gas Energy Trust fourth roundtable event

THE BRITISH GAS ENERGY TRUST 20TH ANNIVERSARY ROUNDTABLE PROGRAMME

Date: 18th July 2024

Location: Future Inn, Bristol

Objective: To ensure British Gas Energy Trust (the Trust) is supporting its local partner organisations as effectively as possible, with a particular focus on fuel poverty in rural communities and its relationship with mental health issues.

Jessica Taplin, Chief Executive of the Trust, who chaired the event, said: “Our roundtables are designed for the Trust to engage with and listen to our partners and stakeholders, to understand how we can do things differently and to identify earlier and new interventions to help more people avoid the detrimental impact of fuel poverty. We are taking these opportunities to gather as much knowledge as we can, to help inform our future thinking, strategy, and how we work going forward.”

Key themes: Speakers from a diverse range of community groups and support organisations in England, Wales and Scotland began by discussing their work in rural communities, and in particular the links between fuel poverty and mental health.
They highlighted a range of unique challenges that are particular to rural locations, where people can often feel isolated and don’t have access to the same kind of support networks that exist elsewhere. Many people still live off grid and the general cost of living can be much higher than in urban locations, exacerbating issues around fuel poverty.

Observations included:

Though small rural communities can be very close knit, there are still high levels of isolation and residents are often reluctant to share their struggles with fuel poverty or mental health with friends or family because they feel there is a stigma attached.

Infrastructure in rural areas is not as developed as in urban locations, including transport, the internet and public services, which can present practical and cost barriers to accessing advice and support.

In rural areas there are still many homes that are off grid and not connected to mains gas or electricity. This is an underappreciated issue that is not often accounted for in national energy poverty strategies and requires a different set of solutions.

Next steps: The panellists were asked to share strategies and solutions which they believe would prove effective in tackling fuel poverty in rural communities, particularly with residents who also suffer with mental health issues.

The quality of housing stock is much lower in rural locations, with stone-built houses with draughts more common. Prioritising retrofitting investment and support for these residents is key to deliver long-term improvements to quality of life and bills – and to ensure they’re not left behind in the pathway to Net Zero.

Home visits and working in communities can be far more effective to understand and address the complex issues that peoples are facing, though this requires significant investment, especially in rural locations.

The need for funders to invest in organisations, not just projects has been a recurring theme in the four round tables that the Trust has hosted so far. Speakers in Bristol also emphasised that funding decisions must be made well in advance, to provide certainty for service providers, their employees and their clients.

Common themes

This was the fourth in a series of seven roundtables discussions being held around the country, which have so far focused on physical and mental health, young people, rural, and carers, and several common themes are now emerging:

To find out more about the roundtables, please click here.