A fuel poverty coalition has raised concerns about the current state of fuel poverty and the urgent need for support with energy bills.
The End Fuel Poverty Coalition has sent a letter to the Energy Security Secretary Claire Coutinho expressing concerns about the challenges faced by families during the upcoming winter.
The coalition has put forth a series of recommendations to tackle fuel poverty and enhance energy affordability.
These include launching a new “Help to Repay” program aimed at addressing energy debt during the winter season, reforming the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Fund and shifting policy costs from energy bills to general government spending.
Additionally, they propose introducing a new Extreme Weather Payment to assist those affected by severe weather conditions and implementing a new energy cost support scheme to reduce unit costs and standing charges through existing Energy Price Guarantee legislation.
The coalition also suggests supporting local authorities by allocating underspend from the Energy Bills Support Scheme to Household Support Funds and working on further reforms within the private rented sector to establish higher and more enforceable Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards.
