Government thinking of voucher scheme to help with energy costs

As any bill payer will know the cost of energy has soared over recent months. Energy companies put the price of gas and electricity usage up by a considerable amount at the start of this year, and more recently the large suppliers have completed another fresh round of price hikes, putting further strain on household finances that are already overstretched.

According to one recent report the government is thinking of introducing a scheme that would enable the most vulnerable consumers to get a £50 or £100 voucher that can be redeemed against their energy bills, and it is thought that around six million people could be eligible for the vouchers, which means that the scheme could cost up to £600 million.

However, opposition MPs are questioning how the government can afford to launch such a scheme, and are also concerned about why the taxpayer should fund the huge price hikes that energy giants keep applying. One Lib Dem MP said: ‘This is a seriously bad idea. It only covers a proportion of the problems of the poorest families. And why should taxpayers be paying it rather than the energy companies?’

One energy charity official did not think that people would warm to the scheme. She said: ‘People won’t really have faith in this working for them. I think we need something that’s far more straightforward. Payments with benefit through the tax credit system might be more sensible.’