UPDATE 23/03/22: I am delighted that the Chancellor has today committed to cutting fuel duty by 5p per litre for petrol and diesel. The Spring Statement also confirmed that the primary National Insurance threshold will be raised, ensuring 70% of workers will be better off even considering the Health and Social Care Levy introduction from April. The Household Support Fund has also been doubled from £500 million to £1 billion, and you can apply for North Lincolnshire Council's allocation here.
UPDATE 21/03/22: I have co-signed a letter to the Prime Minister ahead of the Chancellor's Spring Statement, in support of:
- Cutting fuel duty or reducing VAT on fuel
- Establishing a Pumpwatch consumer monitor to ensure fair prices in line with wholesale prices.
UPDATE 03/02/22: the Government outlined further support last month that could take up to £350 off energy bill prices for households. This includes:
- a £200 rebate on electricity costs this October for all households in England, Scotland and Wales with electricity meters . It will be clearly identifiable as a line on electricity bills and repaid over five years at a flat rate of £40 per year, with no interest, starting in April 2023. Ofgem will increase the price cap to reflect the additional cost to be recovered from consumers in future years, and energy companies will reimburse the government. This rebate will not affect the price cap level.
- a non-repayable £150 cash rebate for homes in Council Tax bands A-D. The government will fund local authorities to give all households in England in Council Tax bands A-D a one-off council tax rebate of £150 in 2022-23. It is expected that the vast majority of people who pay by Direct Debit will receive the money in April. For people who do not pay by Direct Debit, their councils will be ready to process their claims in April.
In addition, local authorities have been allocated £144 million in discretionary funding to distribute to those who are struggling to pay their bills but are not not eligible for the cash rebate, like if they are in a higher band in your case. I have written to North Lincolnshire Council to ask how this money will be distributed, and hope to receive an update soon.
Given the increasing cost of energy bills, I wanted to outline the existing means of reducing costs, including:
- Suppliers may provide a range of offers, including payment plan reviews, payment breaks or reductions. This is all done case-by-case, so you may want to consider contacting your supplier as soon as you can if you do start to struggle and let it know if you're vulnerable.
- You may be able to apply for a grant of between £100-£300 of your energy bill for Winter 2021 to 2022 under the Winter Fuel Payment (https://bit.ly/3CK7T2V).
- You may be able to apply for £25 for each 7 day period of very cold weather between 1 November and 31 March if the average temperature in our area is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below over 7 consecutive days (https://bit.ly/3nNvuvr).
- You may also be able to apply for £140 off your electricity bill for Winter 2021 to 2022 under the Warm Home Discount Scheme (http://bitly.ws/nyLs).
- This is the Government’s general on-line information portal with a good summary of heating and housing benefits. It also has an energy grants calculator page which should pull together eligibility for all schemes here: Find energy grants and ways to save energy in your home (http://bitly.ws/nyLV).
- You can get advice on how to make your home more energy efficient at the Each Home Counts website (http://bitly.ws/nyNS). You can also find out about any grants and schemes you’re eligible for.
- The Energy Savings Trust (http://bitly.ws/nyNH) offers free and impartial advice on energy. Their website has many informative pages on energy bills and efficiency schemes.
- You may also wish to contact the Simple Energy Advice Service - (http://bitly.ws/nyNS) directly, to see if there are any other local initiatives operating in our area. They can be reached on 0800 444 202.
- Citizens Advice Consumer Service helpline (http://bitly.ws/nyP5) which gives free, impartial advice to people who are worried about their energy costs and staying warm during winter. They can be reached on: 08082231133.
- Collective purchasing schemes - I would encourage you to register your interest for this year’s Big Community Switch on 0800 048 8285, but for more information you can visit the Big Community Switch website for North Lincolnshire here: bigcommunityswitch.co.uk. The scheme has been running since August 2013 and has so far saved local households collectively more than £100,000 on fuel bills.
- Charitable Trusts - Energy suppliers tend to have affiliations with charitable trusts whose aim is to help people pay their bills. Some do not even require you to be a customer, such as the British Gas Energy Trust. Take a look if your energy supplier supports any charitable initiatives or schemes that could provide financial support.
If you need any help in accessing any of these, please do not be afraid to get in touch at holly.mumbycroft.mp@parliament.uk.