Extra energy bill scheme was staggering failure, says MP

A strategy designed to assistance radical who missed retired connected past winter's £400 vigor measure subsidy was a "staggering failure", a elder MP has said.

The Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Funding was acceptable up for households who bash not person an vigor supplier, specified arsenic those successful parkland homes.

Nearly a cardinal households could use but lone a fraction received the money.

MP Angus MacNeil said the authorities should reopen the scheme, saying it had "missed the astir vulnerable".

The authorities said it had spent much than £50m supporting 130,000 households without a home vigor supplier.

All UK households were eligible for the £400 assistance with substance bills, aft vigor prices roseate sharply past year. For households who wage their bills by nonstop debit, the enactment was fixed automatically done monthly payments from October to March.

But radical who unrecorded off-grid, connected constrictive boats, travellers, radical successful parkland homes and immoderate tenants and radical connected vigor networks, did not automatically person the support, due to the fact that they did not person an vigor provider.

The authorities acceptable up the Alternative Funding strategy for the implicit 900,000 households successful those categories. It besides applied to radical surviving successful attraction homes, who are charged for vigor costs successful their bills.

But lone 141,000 bill-payers managed to use for and person the subsidy earlier the strategy closed connected 31 May.

PHD pupil Sheree Smith said she spent much clip astatine assemblage than astatine her level truthful she didn't person to wage higher vigor bills.

She told BBC Breakfast: "I was truly hoping that £400 would person helped maine to upwind the tempest truthful I could enactment successful my flat, but yet it didn't travel successful time.

"I ended up having to instrumentality to my parents."

Mr MacNeil, a erstwhile SNP member, who present sits arsenic an autarkic and chairs Parliament's vigor information and nett zero committee, said the strategy should beryllium improved and extended truthful that radical could assertion the subsidy they were entitled to.

"A batch of these volition beryllium susceptible radical who are peculiarly suffering the wound of the vigor terms spike and authorities should beryllium moving eden and world almost, to marque definite these radical are getting the money," Mr MacNeil said successful an interrogation with the BBC's Money Box programme.

In his relation arsenic seat of the parliamentary committee, Mr MacNeil is owed to question Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary Grant Shapps successful September. Mr MacNeil said helium would inquire him to relaunch the strategy and marque it easier to use, since "clearly transportation has failed".

Some applicants criticised the strategy for being excessively analyzable oregon not recognising their circumstances. Others said their applications were repeatedly rejected, contempt being eligible.

A authorities spokesperson said: "We spent billions to support families erstwhile prices roseate implicit winter, covering astir fractional a emblematic household's vigor bill.

"We're present seeing costs autumn adjacent further with wholesale vigor prices down by implicit 2 thirds since their peak."

You tin perceive much connected this communicative connected the Money Box podcast aft broadcast.