A Scots MP has claimed many of the poorest people are being denied help with sky-high heating bills due to a bungled support scheme. Ronnie Cowan says he has been inundated with appeals for help from constituents, many of whom have been distraught and in tears.
The crisis is hammering those with pre-payment meters, who require vouchers to access the Energy Bills Support Scheme. While 97 per cent of smart meter customers have received government help through automatic adjustments to bills, only 60 per cent of those on pre-payment meters have been able to cash in vouchers.
Households on pre-payment meters tend to be those on lower incomes, including pensioners.Inverclyde MP Cowan said: “The people emphatically most in need of this help are those on lower incomes. Energy firms are engaging with customers but they are being inundated with enquiries.
“I have heard of customers being on the phone to energy firms for more than two hours. We must not allow lower income families to face an even bigger heating or eating crisis this winter.”
The issues with vouchers are believed to be a partly due to bungled addresses and delays caused by the postal strike days. Cowan said it had caused distress to elderly residents who have no access to email or energy firms using old email addresses to contact customers.
In some cases, vouchers have been sent to landlords rather than tenants. Cowan first asked a question of Graham Stuart, Minister of State in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, in November.
He was told only 60 per cent of the first vouchers for October had been received and redeemed at appointed local retail outlets. Cowan is urging Scots to check old email addresses or spam folders for news of vouchers.
The Energy Support Scheme provides £400 to all households in Britain. About two million energy customers get energy support for pre-payment meters via vouchers.
They can be redeemed at the Post Office or cashed at stores in the PayPoint network. Vouchers are sent by post to three quarters of eligible people using PayPoint, the rest are sent by email.
The government said energy suppliers had promised to improve processes. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has been asked to comment.
Cowan added: “We have heard from people sitting in freezing homes, with no way of turning on the heating as they have no cash. Others have been in tears because they have families to feed and the cooker cannot work without money paid in advance. The system needs to be sorted out immediately.”
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