Independent Age Chief Executive Joanna Elson, CBE, said:
"Today’s energy price cap announcement will provide some brief respite for older people in financial hardship, as a typical household energy bill will drop by almost 7% to £1,641 from April. However, energy bills are still extremely high, and the older people on low incomes we support are seeing their budgets stretched beyond breaking point. This winter has been brutal, we have heard dreadful accounts of people in later life sitting in cold, dark homes, or cutting back on other essentials such as food so they can turn a radiator on. This poses a health risk to older adults and cannot be allowed to continue.
“There are immediate and long-term actions the UK Government can take to support people on low incomes who cannot afford to heat their homes. The recent Warm Home Discount extension was welcome, but at £150, it does not go far enough in supporting those in financial hardship. We want to see it increased to £400 to match the high cost of energy bills. Targeted bill support is also needed in the form of an energy social tariff that protects customers on low incomes from future spikes in costs. If the UK Government is serious about tackling the cost of living and raising living standards, it should take meaningful action to lift people out of fuel poverty.”