Open letter to:

Ed Miliband MP and Joan Ruddock MP

House of Commons

London

SW1A 0AA

Dear Mr Miliband and Ms Ruddock,

Please support the Fuel Poverty Bill on 12 June.

I am writing to you on behalf of The Federation of Private Residents Associations Ltd who are a national not for profit organisation that represents the interests of long leaseholders which we do via their Residents’ Associations.

Our organisation is an active supporter of the Government’s policy on energy efficiency and climate change, however the one to two million leasehold flats in the UK (a significant proportion of homes) are effectively excluded from carrying out many home insulation initiatives as a result of legislation or because there is no provision for this in their leases.

Much legislation on energy efficiency and certainly the legislation that provides for Grants effectively exclude those living in leasehold flats because the grants are aimed at individuals that purchase in their own names rather than through communal arrangements especially where some live in a block where they would otherwise qualify for a grant whereas others in a block do not.

Most leases only provide for maintenance of existing facilities and there if no provision for “improvements”. There have been many court cases challenging the validity of service charges where any improvement e.g. Double glazing has been disallowed because this is an improvement not maintenance.

If the government is to succeed in its targets it needs to seriously consider the situation for long leasehold flats and work in conjunction with your colleagues at the Department of Communities and Local Government (Leasehold Reform Branch) and enter into negotiations with David Heath MP to allow the Fuel Poverty Bill through to Standing Committee on 12 June 2009.

This Bill will reinstate a duty to end fuel poverty, as a recent High Court judgment ruled that the targets under the Warm Homes and Energy Conservation Act were merely “aspirations”.

There is an urgent need to tackle fuel poverty with 5 million households (including leasehold flats) unable to afford to heat their homes.

Increasing the energy efficiency of our homes will help lower energy bills, reduce carbon emissions and create jobs in this time of economic downturn.

As a new member of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition campaign the Federation of Private Residents Association would ask that you support the return of the Bill to Parliament on Friday 12th June and we and our Coalition partners will do all we can to ensure that a Bill that is agreeable to all can proceed into Committee.

We firmly believe that the concerns raised by the Government at Second Reading can be satisfactorily addressed before the Bill returns to Parliament on 12 June and I understand David Heath is extremely willing to negotiate along with my own MP Peter Bottomley who sponsored the original Bill.

We strongly support the Fuel Poverty Bill and hope that you will support this Bill by attending the Standing Committee on 12 June 2009.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Bob Smytherman

For FPRA

Main Office.
The Federation of Private Residents Associations Ltd,
P O Box 10271
EPPING
Essex CM16 9DB
Telephone Number; 0871 200 3324 (normal national rates apply)
email. info@fpra.org.uk.
web. www.fpra.org.uk.

The Federation of Private Residents' Associations is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee.
Registered office: PO Box 10271, Epping, Essex, CM16 9DB
Registered number 1992130