Dozens of charities including Age UK, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Refuge and Scope are backing a lobbying push by MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis calling on ministers to halt a planned hike in energy bills from April.
The government’s energy price guarantee on bills is set to rise from £2,500 for a typical bill to £3,000 from April.
In a letter to Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt Lewis says the hike needs to be halted and reviewed as it was put in place at a time when wholesale energy rates were higher than they are now.
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2023/02/martin-lewis--postpone-the-planned-cuts-to-government-energy-sup/
“Postponing the increase is a practical and fair decision, with household energy bills already double what they were the prior winter,” said Lewis.
“Crucially, the damage to people's pockets and mental health of another round of energy price rise letters is disproportionate.”
I have just sent the Chancellor @Jeremy_Hunt - supported by major charities - a letter asking him to postpone the government's 20% increase in energy bills on 1 April.
— Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) February 9, 2023
The letter is at attached (plus supplementary explanation) please read and feel free to share pic.twitter.com/E6G822hiMG
He specially mentions postponing the increase is backed by Citizens Advice, Fair By Design, National Energy Action and StepChange.
Also among the 50 further organisations backing Lewis’ letter are RNIB, Young Lives vs Cancer, Stroke Association, FareShare, Mencap and Diabetes UK.
They also point out that the hike in fuel bills coincides with the ending of the £400 energy bills support scheme to offer further assistance to households.
RNIB said that they government must postpone the increase “to help everyone struggling with the rising cost of living, including blind and partially sighted people”.
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