The Guardian

‘I have mould growing on the ceiling’

Clea Skopeliti and Jasper Jolly

Katie, London

High energy prices have left many people with tough choices. When colder weather started this month Katie (not her real name), 47, said the vouchers would have offered a “lifeline” – had they arrived.

She lives in temporary accommodation in a one-bed flat in Southwark, London, with her 12-year-old son, and sleeps on the sofa while he has the bedroom. There is no central heating so they rely on electric heaters. The delay in receiving vouchers has made a difficult situation worse.

“I can’t afford to heat my son’s bedroom,” she said earlier this month, six weeks after the scheme began. “I now have mould growing on the bedroom ceiling. It is very expensive heating his room with a portable heater and the vouchers would have been a great help.”

She has been on the phone repeatedly with her energy supplier, although she struggled to juggle waiting on the phone to get through to someone while also working full-time. She said she was “extremely upset” about the way her supplier was treating her.

She finally received her vouchers for October and November on Tuesday, nearly two months after they were supposedly first issued.

Peter, Sunderland

When he bought his one-bed flat in Sunderland nine years ago, Peter, an antiques dealer in his 50s, decided not to pay to have his prepayment meter removed, given his low energy needs. “I don’t have a TV – I prefer to read,” he said.

However, two months into the government’s energy bills support scheme, he has still not received the support he is entitled to. He shared correspondence showing a series of complaints to his provider, British Gas. He still has no vouchers six weeks after first complaining. “It’s just so frustrating to try and get through to them and get anything concrete,” he said. “It’s sending a piece of paper from A to B, and they can’t do it.”

Peter, who lives alone, said he was annoyed at being forced to chase something most people have received automatically.

A British Gas spokesman said all October and November vouchers have been sent to customers, and it would investigate Peter’s case.

William, Northampton

Despite facing energy costs that have more than doubled in the last year, 73-year-old William Harris from Northampton has not received any vouchers. As his landlord installed a prepayment submeter in each of the eight flats in his building, Harris does not have a direct contract with an energy supplier. The way the scheme is currently designed means the whole building is entitled to only one set of vouchers for £400.

His landlord has told him that at the end of six months he will “see what he receives and divide [the £400] up accordingly” among the eight households, meaning he would get a fraction of what most households will receive.

Harris has seen the electricity bills for his studio flat soar from £20 monthly to £50 every three weeks. “Since I turned [the heating on] in mid-October, it’s really eating through,” he says. “I’ve got a very serious heart condition.

“I’ve cut down as much as I can. I don’t use the oven at all now … I wear extra clothing to avoid turning on the heating.”

Harris said he has written to his MP, Citizens Advice and his local authority, but no one has been able to give him a concrete answer. “I have no idea how vouchers are going to reach people in my position. It’s very frustrating”

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2022-12-03T08:00:00.0000000Z

2022-12-03T08:00:00.0000000Z

https://guardian.pressreader.com/article/281530820047385

Guardian/Observer