Debt Justice have co-signed a letter to the Secretary of State for Energy, Grant Shapps, urging the government to set-up a dedicated ‘Help to Repay’ scheme to support people struggling to repay energy debt.
New research from the Money Advice Trust shows the extent of the crisis, with the number of UK adults falling behind on their energy bills increasing by 2.1 million since March 2022, to 5.5 million today.
Debt Justice calculate that £1.1 billion of the £2.3 billion of total debt and arrears is held by households with pre-payment meters, leaving them at increased risk of disconnection.
“The government need to intervene and write off unaffordable energy debt or the hangover from record prices will continue to trap millions of households in hardship and poverty.”
Eva Watkinson, Head of Campaigns
Notes
The joint letter was co-ordinated by the Money Advice Trust with the support of 14 debt organisations and charities.
Further details of the ‘Help to Repay’ policy proposal can be found at https://moneyadvicetrust.org/media/documents/Help_to_Repay_-_Energy_arrears_scheme_proposal.pdf
Debt Justice (formerly Jubilee Debt Campaign) is a campaigning organisation working to end unjust debt and the poverty and inequality it perpetuates, in the UK and across the world https://debtjustice.org.uk/