A CALL for the Government to do more to help the poorest in society as people reel from soaring fuel prices and rising inflation has been issued by a national debt help charity.
And its representative in Redditch, Iain Baker, says many local families will have to make the toughest of choices – whether to put food on the table or heat their homes in the months ahead.
“There is a profile of people at risk, many live in rented accommodation, 85 per cent are on benefits, over 50 per cent are single mothers or single women, and often they’re on pre-payment meters where they pay more anyway,”said Iain, a former banker who is now the community links co-ordinator for the national charity Christians Against Poverty (CAP).
CAP is now working in conjunction with the Oasis Christian Centre in Redditch to offer free debt management solutions to local people struggling to keep their heads above water.
“The Government is offering help, but they’re not giving it until October, but it’s cold now in February and people will have to make a decision on how they spend their money,” he said.
“Will it be £10 on the meter or miss a meal? It’s going to hit the poorest hardest.”
The plea follows energy regulator Ofgem’s estimate that households will be facing an average of £700 or 54 per cent increase in energy bills.
“Debt is a huge inhibitor – over 30 per cent of CAP clients have contemplated suicide, over 60 per cent believe no-one can help them,” said Iain.
“There is a perception in society that anyone with debt problems have been living the high life but that’s only about two per cent of cases.
“In reality it’s because they lost their job, a relationship broke up or through illness.”
For more on CAP or if you need help with debt problems, visit: capuk.org/about-us or drop into the Oasis Christian Centre.
CAP is calling for:
The £200 energy rebate the Government has announced to be paid in April, not October.
A more significant increase in the Warm Home Discount Scheme which is only planned to increase by £10 in Winter 2022/23.
An exceptional increase in benefits rates in April, from 3.1 per cent to 7.25 per cent to allow payments to keep pace with the steep rise in inflation, and help low-income households meet the higher cost of living across all consumer areas.
