That was the message in September while the energy price cap was still just under £2,000 per year for the average household and before the new government proposals to freeze energy prices were known.
Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice said “Energy bills are still sky high. A freeze may not be enough to reverse the devastating trend in people coming to us because they’ve run out of food or can’t top up their gas and electric”.
Locally we helped people like:
John,* a pensioner who lives alone and receives a disability benefit. He wanted to know how much he would be entitled to as help with energy payments and when he could expect the money. We were able to tell him which payments he could expect and when.
Nada,* who understood that her landlord was behind with his mortgage payments on the property she rented and was worried about her situation if the property had to be sold. Our adviser outlined the procedure in these situations and suggested that Julia come back for more specific help when she knew what was happening
Mandy,* who was a single mum with a six-week old baby. She had been claiming Universal Credit for several years and had claimed child benefit but wanted to know if there was anything else she might be eligible for. On checking the Government website, the adviser showed her that she could claim a £500 grant under the Sure Start scheme and printed the form for her. The adviser asked if she had received her first ‘cost-of-living’ payment for those receiving universal Credit. Mandy hadn’t, so the adviser gave her the link to a form for reporting a missing ‘cost-of-living’ payment.
Dave,* who has a gap between jobs. He had money saved to cover this, but then had to spend it on car repairs. He had bought most of the uniform second hand for his daughter who was about to start school, but still needed some items and he didn’t have money left for food. The adviser referred him to a food bank and made a request to a local charity for help with uniform costs.
*not their real names to protect confidentiality
In these times of change Citizens Advice is here to help.
The cost-of-living crisis hasn’t gone away and it will still be a tough winter for many, but we are here to help by providing free, independent, confidential advice to everyone.
We also use the evidence we see every day to highlight the loopholes and gaps which need to be plugged.
Citizens Advice is the statutory Consumer Advocate for energy. We provide supplier performance information to consumers and policy analysis to decision makers.
CITIZENS ADVICE WAVERLEY CONTACT DETAILS:
By Email: (the easiest way to contact a specific office) use enquiry form at https://waverleycab.org.uk/get-advice/e-mail-form/
By Phone 0808 278 7980 (free) to speak to an adviser
Self-help: https://waverleycab.org.uk/get-advice/help-topics/
Office opening: https://waverleycab.org.uk/get-advice/visit-us/ Please check the latest opening hours before visiting as these can change at short notice.
South West Surrey Domestic Abuse Outreach Service: 01483 898884
Email: swr@swsda.org.uk
www.swsda.org.uk
