The number of homes without central heating in York is 8.3%, it has been revealed. And a larger number are living in fuel poverty in the private rented sector (PRS), a report has said. The figures on central heating come from the last Census, while those in fuel poverty in the PRS come from an independent house condition survey undertaken by a consultant for the council this year.

Labour's housing spokesperson, Coun. Tracey Simpson-Laing responded to the report, saying:

"I do find it concerning that nearly 1 in 9 homes do not have central heating. What it means is that homes are firstly not being heating adequately, and secondly they are not being heated efficiently. We now know in some parts of the city there are significant numbers of households in fuel poverty and since this survey was carried out, the figures must have got worse".

Fuel poverty is defined as being annual expenditure on fuel in excess of 10% of household income. The government announced measures last week to try and combat the rising cost of fuel, focussing particularly on the vulnerable. But Coun. Simpson-Laing thinks that many living in the PRS will miss out on improvements to their homes.

She said:

"I have a real concern that those in the PRS will miss out on having their homes energy efficiency tested and improved. Where a landlord has multiple properties they could be unwilling to undertake improvements because of the costs involved. I would also suspect that many residents in the PRS would also be wary of asking their landlords to make improvements because of the fear of their rents rising or even facing a threat of eviction if they do not like the conditions they are living in".

"In this day and age it is not right that people have to live in cold conditions. York residents who live in the PRS already pay high rental costs, compared with the social rented sector, for their homes and this cost will increase if their homes are not insulated to the minimum required standard. It is an important part of improving the stock of housing in the city that owners of PRS properties ensure their tenants live in a standard equal to the ‘Decent Homes Standard', a standard which has been set for social housing, to be achieved by 2010".

Coun. Simpson-Laing notes that with the current lack of affordable housing in the city, more York residents will be forced into the PRS due to their financial inability to obtain a mortgage. Because of York's very high houses prices, she calls on landlords to acknowledge their duty of care for the well-being of their tenants and provide decent heating systems where they don't exist.