2 million of essentially the most weak left ready months for assist with power payments

Nearly two million individuals had been left ready months for power invoice assist when costs rocketed, MPs warned.

The Government should make clear the way it will shield shoppers from worth rises “as a matter of urgency”, the Public Accounts Committee mentioned.

PAC chair Meg Hillier mentioned it’s “welcome” to see the Government supporting households, however many who most wanted assist “were kept waiting longest”.

She continued: “We need to see better understanding from the Government on vulnerable customers’ circumstances so that help can be prioritised for those who need it most.”

She mentioned plans to make sure power affordability this winter haven’t been seen.”

Around 1.7 million individuals waited months for assist because of the Government’s “lack of bandwidth” to make sure all teams obtained assist collectively.

The cross-party group mentioned it had “serious concerns” concerning the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero’s “lack of urgency in addressing the energy market failures leading to high energy bills”.

In February 2023, DESNZ estimated that assist would price £69billion, of which £16billion was paid between October and December 2022.

Around 900,000 households with no direct relationship to a home power provider solely turned eligible for the home shoppers’ Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding on February 27, nearly 5 months after shoppers started receiving reductions.

A DESNZ spokesman mentioned the “complexities” of delivering to such households has not been recognised, including: “It’s right we made sure there was a robust system to help protect people against fraud before rolling it out.”