Rishi Sunak tells Britons to brace for even higher energy costs in autumn
Rishi Sunak has warned households suffering from Britain’s worsening cost of living crisis to brace themselves for further increases in energy costs later this year, as critics said his £9bn emergency package was insufficient to prevent millions more struggling with fuel poverty.
Prompted into action by the prospect of the average household paying an extra £700 a year for gas and electricity, the chancellor said he accepted it was a “very difficult time” but that a combination of temporary, repayable discounts and council tax rebates would help soften the blow.
Sunak said that as things stood, the price cap of £1,971 set by the energy regulator Ofgem would rise further in the autumn, prompting calls for the government to do more to help those on the poorest incomes.
The Resolution Foundation thinktank said even with the government support, the number of people living in fuel stress – households where more than 10% of the budget is spent on energy – would double to 5 million.
“These energy crisis measures are woefully inadequate and will leave those on the lowest incomes and in the least efficient homes in deep peril,” said Adam Scorer, the chief executive of charity National Energy Action. “We needed deep, targeted support for the most vulnerable. We have shallow, broad measures for all. That simply does not work.”
Under the Treasury plan, 28 million electricity customers will have £200 knocked off their bills in October, with the money repaid in £40 annual instalments over the next five years. Council tax payers in England in bands A to D will receive a rebate of £150 from their bills in April, which will not have to be paid back, while separate sums have been set aside for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to use as the
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