People across the country struggling to cope with the cost of living crisis are being encouraged to stop paying their energy bills this October. A campaign group - Don't Pay UK - wants to get one million people to pledge to cancel their bills in an effort to force firms to reduce them.
Energy prices are expected to remain at more than two-and-a-half times their pre-crisis levels until at least 2024, with another increase in the price cap expected this autumn, reports Nottinghamshire Live. Ofgem has already confirmed the cap will now be updated every three months, rather than every six, as it warned customers face "a very challenging winter ahead".
Don't Pay UK point to the success of the mass non-payment 30 years ago when 17 million people refused to pay PM Margaret Thatcher's Poll Tax. The group hopes if enough people sign up, the energy firms can be brought to the negotiating table.
The group's three-point plan....
Build support
Don't Pay UK is an anonymous group of people whose plan is to demand energy bills fall back to an affordable level. For the plan to work, Don't Pay UK want a million people to join them. The group is setting up email lists and is on Telegram, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit and Twitter to start telling people about this. Zoom calls are being organised, as well as in-person meet-ups. They are also printing flyers and stickers in a bid to bring people together.
A statement on the group's website reads: "We'll need people, organisations and community groups to do all of this too, building this up street by street, estate by estate and city by city. The first step is to get thousands of people like you to say you support the strike."
Gather a million pledges
Don't Pay UK claims the only way of getting their message across is by turning out in numbers to show energy companies that they have some power.
A statement reads: "One million sounds like a lot, but millions more will already be thinking about whether they’ll be able to pay come winter and afford the other things they need to survive for them and their families. Even more of us will be angry about paying more than double what we used to pay for the same amount we use. Let alone food, petrol and mortages."
Cancel direct debits if price hikes go ahead
If government and energy companies have not reduced bills by October 1, the group says it they will take action by cancelling direct debits. They hope that by everybody doing this on the same day they will be able to send a strong message to energy companies.
"It can only work if we believe in each other and show the powers that be that we would not stand for being treated as cash cows," read a message on their website.
What Ofgem says
The regulator has urged consumers not to join the Don’t Pay group, warning this will only result in higher costs for everyone and could lead to personal debt problems.
