Government £100 energy payment 'may not be enough' warns charity

Summarised from Hexham Courant's report · Updated 5 Nov, 07:51 · Archive

Citizens Advice warns that a £100 Government payment to struggling Northumberland households may not fully address high energy costs.

A £100 Government payment to help Northumberland households with energy bills may be inadequate, Citizens Advice has warned. The Household Energy Payment will go to homes in Council Tax bands A to D, with 31,240 households in Hexham set to benefit. Citizens Advice said the money would provide some 'breathing space' but would not tackle the fundamental problem of high energy costs, particularly as energy debt levels remained 'exceptionally high' heading into winter.

The charity raised concerns about using Council Tax bands to determine eligibility. Northumberland has many rural and off-grid properties, including older homes heated by oil, LPG or solid fuel, which often fall into higher Council Tax bands. This means low-income families in harder-to-heat homes could face severe fuel poverty while missing the automatic £100 payment. Citizens Advice called for 'long-term structural solutions' such as insulation and heat pump upgrades. Hexham MP Joe Morris defended the payment as 'reasonable and fair', saying it would reach all eligible households and that council tax was the most efficient delivery method.

Read the report

• £100 energy help 'may not be enough' for struggling Northumberland householdsA £100 payment to help thousands of Northumberland households with their energy bills may "not be enough" for those struggling the most, Citizens AdviceHexham Courant · 5 Nov, 05:00

In this story: Citizens Advice · Citizens Advice Northumberland · Northumberland · Joe Morris · Hexham

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