Today Sir John Whittingdale MP met with Minister for Energy, Graham Stuart, to express his concern at the delays to cost of living support for those who are not on the main electricity or gas network.
Not everyone who is struggling to pay for their fuel has been able to get support from the government via their electricity supplier but setting up the scheme to make payments to those who are not on the electricity or gas supply network has proved to be problematic.
There are a large number of constituents in Maldon and the surrounding towns and villages, who live in park homes and do not have residential electricity supplies and have not qualified for the monthly payments, and also people who rely on oil or alternative fuels such as biomass who also qualify for a £200 payment which has not yet been made.
The Government has now announced that they will be asking Local Authorities (LAs) that are responsible for council tax records and collection (“Billing Authorities”) to act as the delivery bodies for the Alternative Electricity Funding. Local Authorities are well placed to deliver this support as they have an understanding of the local communities they serve, the ability to administer grant application processes and protect public money by mitigating against the risks of fraud and payment error.
For those who heat their homes via alternative fuels as they are off the gas grid, the £200 payment will be made via their electricity supplier. Payments for both schemes should be made in February.
The Government released a press release on the annoucement today.
Minister for Energy and Climate, Graham Stuart, said:
Getting this support for households’ bills out across the country will save hundreds of pounds for millions of people during the coldest months of the year.
This has been a top priority and joint effort, with close work between officials and electricity suppliers in Northern Ireland, as well as with local authorities in Great Britain who will help get support to over 900,000 households who don’t have the direct relationship with energy suppliers that the vast majority of households do.
Online applications will open in January for households in England, Scotland and Wales who are eligible for the £400 EBSS Alternative Funding to submit their details, alongside a helpline for those without online access. Payments to households that meet the eligibility criteria – including people who get their energy through a commercial contract or who are off-grid – will be made by local authorities in Great Britain. This is likely to include:
- care home residents
- residents of park homes
- tenants in certain private and social rented homes
- homes supplied via private wires
- residents of caravans and houseboats on registered sites
- farmers living in domestic farmhouses
- off-grid households
