Stuart Anderson MP demands continued support for Shropshire households
Stuart Anderson MP has called on the new government to continue a scheme which has helped thousands of households across Shropshire with the cost of living. It comes as Ofgem has announced that the energy price cap will increase by ten per cent from October, resulting in an extra £149 being added on to energy bills. Over the last four years, the previous government had equipped Shropshire Council with £8 million from the Household Support Fund - a flexible scheme which provided English councils with £2.5 billion to directly provide discretionary support for those most in need with the cost of daily essentials such as food, clothing, and utilities like energy and water bills. Almost 30 million awards were made since October 2021. At the Spring Budget, an extra £500 million was announced to enable a six-month extension to September 2024. The new government has failed to confirm whether the scheme will be continued, saying it is “reviewing all policies.” So Stuart has called on the new government to confirm the scheme will continue for at least six more months.
It follows another call Stuart has recently made to retain winter fuel payments for all pensioners, not just those in receipt of means-tested benefits like Pension Credit. He has backed calls for a debate in Parliament on the new government’s decision to strip ten million pensioners of the payment this winter. A motion put forward by the official opposition, of which Stuart is part, calls for a debate to be scheduled - with a view to annulling the change. In winter 2022 to 2023, around 11.4 million people received a Winter Fuel Payment. Stuart said that the debate would allow MPs to put forward the views of their constituents on the government’s change in policy, after a survey found that 59 per cent of people are against the cut. It has also been revealed that the new government failed to undertake an impact assessment of its decision on the most vulnerable people.
Stuart is calling on support for all households vulnerable to the energy price increases, including those which utilise heating oil as a source of energy. Any household not connected to the mains gas network does not benefit from the Price Cap. There are approximately 2 million such households, many of which will be living in park homes on some of the country’s 1,832 parks. In the past, these households were instead supported with a £200 payment from the government. Having campaigned for Winter Fuel Payments to be kept, Stuart is also calling for the support, known as ‘Alternative Fuel Payments’, to be retained as equivalent support for households not connected to the mains gas network.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
“The news that energy prices are due to increase by ten per cent from October will be worrying for many of my constituents. I will always do all that I can to ensure that the most vulnerable in Shropshire and beyond get the support they need. So, I have called on the new government to continue the Household Support Fund - a flexible scheme which has supported thousands of families across Shropshire with more than £8 million to better manage the cost of daily essentials. Alongside my campaign to save winter fuel payments, I am also calling for the equivalent support to be retained for those households not connected to the mains gas network, including our park homes.”
