ABSTRACT
In 1974, it was stated by the charity Shelter that in the mid-1970s Britain was almost the top of the league in terms of the proportion of GDP spent on housing. By 1994, investment had dropped to near the bottom of the league and things are not much better as the century closes. Over 7 million households are still, in 1999, below the official fuel poverty level. Bad housing has a profound impact on health. In the UK over £1 billion a year is spent by the health service on illnesses directly resulting from cold, damp and mould in housing. In 1980, the Labour government commissioned the eminent physician Sir Douglas Black to investigate if there was a link between poverty and ill health. His report published in 1980 established the link beyond doubt It was binned by the incoming Tory government but has been resurrected by the Labour Secretary of State for Health. Recent research by London University into why the winters in Siberia did not increase mortality came up with two reasons: the inhabitants wore warm clothes and their living rooms were heated to around 20°C even when outside temperatures were as low as –48°C In Britain, the fuel poor; many in private rented accommodation, endure much lower indoor temperatures.
