Heating scheme 'needs more funds'

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More funding should be made available for Warm Front, the government's scheme to help vulnerable people with their heating, according to Paddy Tipping MP.

Mr Tipping, who sits on the commons Energy and Climate Change Committee, told the BBC that the scheme needs to provide a better aftercare service.

During the recent cold weather, some people endured prolonged periods without heating or hot water.

Mr Tipping says the way the funding is allocated needs to be examined.

"I think one of the things that we need to do is look at the balance of funding between insulation, the initial work and the aftercare," he says.

It was very, very cold, especially for my husband who has Alzheimer's Marjorie Alcock, Warm Front customer

"I think the problems that we've seen over recent weeks suggest there may be a problem with aftercare. Let's look at the issue, let's see whether it might make sense to transfer money into a better aftercare system."

The heavy snow earlier this month brought with it freezing conditions for weeks on end.

Many people were affected by the sub-zero temperatures, but none more so than Marjorie Alcock and her husband Donald. Donald is an Alzheimer's sufferer and needs constant care from his wife.

During the cold spell the boiler they had installed four years ago through the government's Warm Front scheme broke down.

Instead of being helped quickly, the couple, who live in Coventry, was left without heating or hot water for six days.

Warmsure say the extreme weather led to more problems than usual

"It was very, very cold, especially for my husband who has Alzheimer's", says Marjorie Alcock.

"He doesn't get around very much, and he's very, very slim because the Alzheimer's has affected his diet, he doesn't want to eat very much."

"When you're a carer you try to do the very best you can, and it was awful to see him so cold."

Donald and Marjorie's Warm Front grant expired in 2007 but they continued to use the government's chosen contractor Warmsure privately.

Extreme weather

Warmsure, the company dealing with the Alcocks' boiler, says the period of time in question was very busy.

"We do understand this was a distressing situation and we deeply regret the upset caused," says Warmsure.

They should be looking for some sort of recompense and apology Clive Dickin, Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors

"The extreme weather during this period was challenging for all emergency call out services, not just Warmsure, and the prolonged nature of the conditions in particular could not be foreseen. Call volumes in the first half of January were 400% higher than usual for the time of year''

But the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors says it believes a better level of service should have been provided.

Stressful experience

"Certainly when a customer is let down by a company when a 48 hour agreement is in place they should be looking for some sort of recompense and apology," says its chief executive Clive Dickin.

"Where it has been over the six days... I'd say that's not good enough and they should really have been getting there quicker than that."

The heating is back on at Marjorie and Don's home, but the experience was a stressful one.

"Every few minutes Don would say 'It is very cold in here, could you put the heating on?' and I would say 'It's broken down Don'. And then after a few minutes he would just ask again," remembered Marjorie.

Warmsure have apologised to the Alcocks and agreed to service their boiler to ensure the same thing does not happen again.