One household says they spent £85.00 in one week just in electricity at the height of last weeks cold snap, with Hartlepool now seeing as many as ELEVEN warm hubs sprouting up across the area.
Tuesday 20th December 2022 10:15am
Last weeks cold snap seen temperatures plummet, & energy use skyrocket (Pic Credit Hartlepool Mail)
Rising energy costs are said to be plunging some local households even deeper into poverty as last weeks cold snap revealed that some local residents were spending as much as £85.00 a week on their electricity.
The most vulnerable households, those on prepayment meters are the ones said to be the worst effected, with many households opting to switch off their central heating & shivering as the costs to run certain appliances leaves some homes unable to manage without loading their meters up with significant credit.
It comes as Hartlepool sees at least TEN so called “warn hubs” sprouting up across the town, with many locals fearing another cold snap to the one seen just last week will plunge some households into levels of debt never before seen, with many of those homes unfortunate enough to be on prepayment meters likely to see the lights go out as they simply cant afford what's required to keep the meters in credit.
Despite payments made by the government in the form of Cost of Living Payments to many households some claim the support given out comes nowhere close to addressing the real issue of some households who've already seen eyewatering increases to rents, council tax, food & utilities, as inflation continues to chop away at the spending power of many.
Numerous claims of people buying "luxury items" with their cost of living payments is raising questions as to whether the Government needs to withdraw the support being given & pay it directly to energy suppliers.
But others claim that those worrying about not being able to keep their meters topped up shouldn’t have used their cost of living payments on other items, with numerous claims that many who’ve received at least two cost of living payments have not used the money as intended, with calls for the government to distribute those payments directly to energy suppliers in the form of credits to peoples meters to ensure that the money given out is spent in the areas its supposed to be used for.
The governments energy support scheme will be revised to target "the most vulnerable" in April 2023, according to a government source...
In April 2023, its claimed the governments Energy Support Scheme will be revised to target the support in a way that ensures that the money given to households is spent on those who are the most vulnerable, with plans currently being mulled that the government may seek to means test the support in the future to ensure that those on the lowest incomes receive the support necessary to ensure that further energy price increases don't effect vulnerable households as bad, however with little signs that the ever rising prices of gas & electric seem to be going down, in Hartlepool where its claimed households are being plunged into unprecedented levels of poverty, its said that rising prices everywhere across the board is now having a significant impact on residents paying their essential household bills, which could in turn lead to the local council finding that more & more households hold back on Council Tax payments leading to a collections nightmare, as well as potentially seeing the local council sleepwalking into a housing crisis, as people make the increasingly difficult decision of heating, eating, or just keeping a roof over their heads.
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