MSE News: 'Poor families must get fair energy deal'

MillicentBystander

Since when have admin costs ever bore any relation to what the utility companies charge the punter? The classic example is the online tariffs compared to the standard ones. In many cases the online tariffs are hundreds of £££s cheaper. You surely can't claim that someone administering their account online and forgoing 2-4 paper bills per year saves the energy supplier hundreds of £££s?

kev_b_4

KimYeovil wrote: »

More significant is the in-practice application of the schemes whereby one has to SPEND 10% or 15% of your gross income to qualify. It is only those wealthy enough to heat their homes in the first place who can qualify. Plus, being based on gross income, those in social housing only have to spend a fraction of what someone privately renting has to use.

The vast majority of people who are genuinely too poor to adequately warm their homes in the first place are completely disenfranchised. (And, it seems, censored from contributing to this forum.)

i dont think its right for us to judge how poor you have to be to be considered "really poor". the definition of fuel poverty is simple: people who cant afford heating / electricity bills to keep themselves safe and warm. whether those families smoke or drink alot is besides the matter. obviously there will always be loopholes in the system, and certain aspects like the 10% spend thing can be hard to justify for some but at the end of the day fuel poverty exists and is a VERY REAL problem.

sandra21_2

When my son was in education I received my income support with my disabilty premium on top, also there was child benefit (which was taken off my income support, because you can't have 2 benefits!) I also had child tax credit of nearly £50per week. As soon as my son had left college, all of this went seriously down. Now I am struggling with paying the electric, as my disability premium which is to help with any extra costs makes my income now just above the level of which I could get the social tariff. Families get plenty of benefits, their income support, child benefit, and child tax credits of £50 per child (if they are on income support). With one child that makes about £70 for the child alone, then their benefits on top. That is not struggling, I was able to pay for my bills with my benefits and have spare cash for extras for the children. I have absolutely no spare cash now, and I have to run a car (which is from motability as I cannot use public transport). Families in general can manage, IF they budget well.

sweetnorthenlass

how come the government can send loads of cash abroad to help other places out and then make all these cuts in the uk. i look after kids and i took the 3 i look after to the park the other day. i got speaking to a women who had to move back in with her parents (she was 36) with her two sons coz she couldnt afford to heat her house. nasty thing was her pipes burst whilst she was out... i really felt for her...

KimYeovil

sweetnorthenlass wrote: »

how come the government can send loads of cash abroad to help other places out and then make all these cuts in the uk.

How come southerners send loads of cash up north to help other regions out and then make all these cuts down south? Keep it to themselves and don't share with ingrate northerners.

sweetnorthenlass

KimYeovil wrote: »

How come southerners send loads of cash up north to help other regions out and then make all these cuts down south? Keep it to themselves and don't share with ingrate northerners.

i love the south... id live down there but cant afford the houses! surely its the bankers down south who are behind the cuts! not many bankers in my part of the world! plenty of people who rhyme with bankers tho:T

KimYeovil

kev_b wrote: »

i dont think its right for us to judge how poor you have to be to be considered "really poor". the definition of fuel poverty is simple: people who cant afford heating / electricity bills to keep themselves safe and warm. whether those families smoke or drink alot is besides the matter. obviously there will always be loopholes in the system, and certain aspects like the 10% spend thing can be hard to justify for some but at the end of the day fuel poverty exists and is a VERY REAL problem.

A very strange and contradictory post. Another one wanting the poor to pay more for their fuel whilst simultaneously decrying fuel poverty. Ridiculous.