Christians Against Poverty says, “Efforts must be made to protect the most vulnerable through the energy crisis”
National debt help charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP) is responding to the recent increase of Ofgem’s energy price cap.
CAP’s Energy Manager, Paul Walmsley, says, “The overall outlook for the energy industry is honestly bleak at the moment. Experts and Ofgem are fairly sure there will be a number of other companies that go out of business aside from those that have already failed.
“Considering there has been a 400% increase in the wholesale cost of energy it’s unfair to suggest that suppliers should have prepared for it. However, efforts must be made to protect the most vulnerable through the energy crisis especially this Winter.
“We must remember that the price cap still doesn’t provide protections for low income and vulnerable groups. We just need to look at the stats from CAP’s energy report. A dark place to see how much of a struggle paying for energy was pre-COVID: over half of CAP clients could not use the energy they wanted without worrying about the cost. We sadly expect this situation to make things even harder and leave a lot more people losing sleep because of their rising energy bills.
“We need more solid guarantees from Ofgem around the protections they can give customers in vulnerable circumstances. There are too many unknowns for those who cannot cope without support, so more reassurance is needed where possible.
“We also want the Government to recognise that they are about to take away £20 a week from millions of people on Universal Credit, living on a low income, at the worst possible time. If customers can afford to pay their bills then that helps protect energy companies from damage too, but taking away the Universal Credit lifeline will leave many struggling to avoid falling into energy arrears.
“If you are struggling to cope with the price rises, you should speak to your supplier as soon as possible and explain your problem and if you need free debt help we urge you to call Christians Against Poverty or another free debt help service.”
You can find out more about CAP or get in touch with them for help on their website.
