h/t Gates of Vienna
Despite plummeting temperatures, Rita Young only puts her central heating on twice a day. Instead, the 76-year-old widow from Peterborough, a town about 150 kilometers north of London, says she "tries to keep busy and warm."
Young survives on her UK state pension - one of the least generous in Europe - and is classed as being in fuel poverty. That's when more than 10 percent of a household income is spent heating and lighting the home.
As recently as 2008 - before the financial crisis and subsequent deep recession hit - an estimated 3 million British households were classed as being in fuel poverty. Since then, with incomes squeezed and salaries frozen, the figure has nearly doubled.
Well, you gotta have your priorities straight |