North East housing associations join call for Government to improve energy support

Three North East based housing associations are joining a call for the Government to provide targeted support for low-income households to avoid energy hardship this winter.

Karbon Homes, Gentoo and Thirteen have joined forces with 31 other British housing associations, calling for the Government to extend the availability and eligibility of its current energy support schemes and consider what more support could be introduced.

Paul Fiddaman, chief executive of Karbon Homes, commented: “As a housing provider, we see, first-hand, the financial challenges our customers are facing because of the continuing high cost of energy.

“Utility bills are expected to remain high for the foreseeable future and although the Government’s energy support for households over the past year has been very welcome, there are still many households who either fell through the gaps of schemes available or missed out on claiming due to confusing and unclear eligibility.

“We’re calling on the Government to consider all this and ensure that vital financial support is available for the thousands of households who are likely to struggle to heat their homes again this coming winter.”

The call comes in a joint letter sent to two ministers within the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Other signatories to the letter include Riverside, The Guinness Partnership, Places for People and members of the Homes for the North group.

In total, the 34 landlords provide homes for more than 1.5 million households across England. The letter asks for three changes to protect those most in need this winter.

1. Provide more targeted support through the Energy Bills Support Scheme and Energy Bills Discount Scheme for those on low incomes and the 1.7m households living in fuel poverty that are not registered for benefits.

2. Expand eligibility for the Warm Homes Discount: The Warm Homes Discount gives a one-off £150 discount on energy bills over the winter and focuses on pensioners who get pension credit alongside a broader group of people being in low-income households.

However, it doesn’t apply to those on heat networks or those without a direct relationship with an electricity supplier this winter.

3. Extend the application deadline for Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding from May 31 to December 31 2023.

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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