Help with bills welcomes – but people on low incomes will need more

Commenting on today’s announcement on energy bills by the Prime Minister, Peter Kelly, director of the Poverty Alliance said: “The first duty of government is to protect people from harm. We have been calling for action on energy bills for months, so today’s announcement will be welcomed by millions of people who have been sick with anxiety about the coming winter.

“But there is no doubt that even with this freeze and the support to people on low-incomes that has already been announced, too many households in Scotland will still be left with bills that are much higher than last winter – and too many simply don’t have the incomes to pay them.

“One thing the UK Government could do immediately is to reverse the unjust £20 cut in Universal Credit made last year.

“That the freeze is not being funded by a windfall tax is a huge missed opportunity, and the impact on future energy bills is a concern. Energy companies have made multi-billion pound profits over the last few years, and it is only right that those profits are used in part to ensure a more just response to the cost of living crisis.”

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