Struggling residents have slammed the UK government after it was revealed that up to 90,000 families have been unable to take advantage of government help on pre-payment meters.
Latest figures show that 32 per cent of all 867,000 vouchers issued in Scotland for the last three months of 2022 were not redeemed and MP Ronnie Cowan believes this is largely down to a chaotic system failing to send vouchers to the right people.
The MP spoke out after the government’s business and energy department showed that 274,000 issued vouchers were not redeemed report the Record.
That number, equating to three monthly vouchers for 90,000 families, is believed to include many vouchers that simply got lost in the post or in unopened email due to old personal information being used.
Edinburgh local Caroline Cawley was unable to use her pre-payment voucher and was left distraught with stress.
The unemployed 39-year-old said that when she tried to present her a voucher at a local shop for a credit top-up, the system would not accept it.
She said: “I don’t know if my next voucher will be rejected because I have been going round in circles.”
Caroline said she was finally able to swap a voucher for cash, which she then used for a top-up.
She said: “I guess I will try the same shop and hope I can get the voucher to work.
“But I can easily imagine how there must be thousands of people out there who are not getting the help they were entitled to.”
It was revealed recently that planned changes to pre-payment meter charges will save customers less than £1 a week.
The £400 energy bill rebate is supplied in £67 monthly vouchers. The vouchers expire after 90 days.
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Ruth Boyle of the Poverty Alliance said: “Alongside Energy Action Scotland, we worked with the previous First Minister to convene a summit of campaigners, politicians, and energy companies.
"It’s clear that this should happen again – so that energy companies turn compassion into concrete action to get this support to those that are entitled to it.”
A UK Government spokesperson said: "We know it has been a difficult winter for families, which is why the government has been paying around half of the typical household’s energy bill this winter.
"97% of prepayment meter vouchers have been issued and suppliers must make at least three attempts to reach the customer if a voucher is not redeemed.
"Households will have until June to use their vouchers and should contact their supplier if any are yet to be received."
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