Almost three million more households, including 240,000 more families in Scotland, will get support to pay their energy bills next winter, as the Labour government confirms additional cost of living support for families across the country.
Labour is acting to protect families in East Lothian by bringing forward plans to expand the Warm Home Discount, giving eligible households £150 off their energy bills.
This would bring a total of nearly 2.7 million households into the scheme across the country – pushing the total number of households that would receive the discount next winter up to an estimated 6.1 million.
Douglas Alexander MP said:
“This announcement on additional support for paying energy bills will make a real difference to families in my constituency.
“Paying the bills can be a real pressure for local families and so I welcome this latest announcement of practical help with energy costs.”
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:
“Millions of families will get vital support with the cost of living this coming winter, demonstrating this government’s commitment to put money in people’s pockets through our Plan for Change.
“Labour is also accelerating proposals to introduce a debt relief scheme, which would target unsustainable debt built up by households during the energy crisis. This would help to cut the costs of servicing bad debt, which currently contributes to higher bills for all billpayers.
“This additional support for households across Scotland complements the government’s mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower, delivering energy security and bringing down bills for good.”
- Further information on the Warm Home Discount scheme can be found at Warm Home Discount Scheme: Overview – GOV.UK.
Ofgem’s consultation on establishing a debt relief scheme closed on Thursday 6 February. The consultation document can be found at www.ofgem.gov.uk/consultation/resetting-energy-debt-landscape-case-debt-relief-scheme.
