For more information and interviews contact Toby Murray on +44 (0)300 040 0011
In response to reports from Bloomberg on the 31st March that the Ofgem debt relief scheme has been ‘scrapped'[1], Toby Murray, Policy and Campaigns Manager at Debt Justice, said:
“Reports that the Ofgem energy debt relief scheme has been paused are disgraceful and represent a serious failure to support millions of households already struggling with energy debt.
This scheme, which Debt Justice campaigned for alongside our supporters and sector allies, would have written off £500 million of the £4.5 billion in energy debt built-up during the energy crisis. Even before these reports, progress had been far too slow. Any further delay will only deepen hardship, leaving people in debt facing unaffordable repayments, disconnection, and financial misery. Every delay means another day people in debt struggle to heat their homes and sink further into debt, while energy companies continue to make hundreds of millions in profits.
The government must reverse this decision immediately, as the country braces for yet another fossil fuel crisis and higher household energy costs from Trumpflation. Debt relief must be prioritised, and should be funded from industry profits, not passed onto consumers through higher bills.
People in debt need bold, binding commitments, not half-measures that get quietly shelved.”
[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-31/uk-pauses-plan-to-scrap-500-million-of-unpaid-energy-bills?srnd=phx-fixed-income