Huge rise on Energy bills

Jane43

M0nica

Being in the fortunate position of being able to pay the higher fuel bills without too much problem. I do not want the £200. I would rather it went to someone on a low income as a grant not a loan.

Why didn't the governmeny just raise the level of pension credit and increase Universal Credit and in work benefits to make sure the money available was targeted at those who needed it most?

Agreed Monica and why not stop giving the winter fuel allowance to all pensioners? The money should go to low income families and those on pension credit.

The trouble with that is that the threshold for Pension Credit is low and there are millions just over the threshold who are struggling, but still have to pay their energy bills.

WWM2 Unfortunately the media has continually pedalled this until it is believed. In my book it’s called brain washing!

The Tories have always demonised the poorest in society because their poverty is their fault as they are ill educated and don’t work hard enough. The Tory ethos never changes although some are ‘softer’.

Unfortunately we do need people to do the nitty gritty jobs as the pandemic demonstrated. Health, teaching, welfare, shops, cleaning (the service economy) etc. Many of these essential jobs are poorly paid.

ayse

So £150 off Council tax and a loan to be recovered over 5 years.

Does this mean that our local authorities will receive £150 less per household in bands A-D? Will they then be forced to cut local services further and increase the council tax? If so, they will be blamed for mismanagement of their funds by the government!

IMO, this government will be playing the blame shifting game yet again! Meanwhile many of us will be on or below the breadline and unable to heat our homes.

Yes. That’s what I want to know, too.

M0nica, yes, it seems blindingly obvious that funds should go to those who can't afford the increase. Still, when I read your comment:

'Why didn't the governmeny just raise the level of pension credit and increase Universal Credit and in work benefits to make sure the money available was targeted at those who needed it most?'

it occurred to me that their intention is, perhaps, different - to keep their 'devoted voters'. The poor folk will already be on Council Tax reduction, those living alone on 25% discount. It seems that they wanted to soften the blow for the rest of us.

We are fortunate enough to be able to cover the increases. DH has been looking to see if there is a local fund we can donate the £200 to. It will be a dreadful worry for so many people.

I'm beginning to feel alarmed about this. So I've switched the boiler from Auto to Manual, so that I can control it and have it on less.

Good point MayBee70! I think it’s about time for some civil unrest JaneJudge. I too have friends in Europe who cannot believe what we are putting up with in the UK, from a corrupt and heartless government. What’s happened to the collective anger of the Poll Tax protests! Where is the fire in the belly of the UK people! Have we become so passive that we will accept anything thrown at us - no matter how unjust! If people throughout history had done this, what a sorry world we would now be living in. We have to stand up, publicly, for what is right!

I am still trying to work out what extra help with energy costs there will be for those pensioners in receipt of Pension Credit guarantee credit.

(I know there are many other people, of all ages, who are/will struggle just as badly because of energy prices, but Gransnet probably has many members who in this particular group.)

Obviously, they will get the so-called 'loan' - the one that will add an extra £40 a year to their bill for the following five years. Very helpful- not!
Plus, I think, an extra £10 a year on their Warm Home discount.

But how many will get any/all of of the £150 Council Tax rebate mentioned? Most already pay this at a reduced rate, or do not pay it at all. Where will they stand regarding this 'rebate'?

LizzieDrip

Good point MayBee70! I think it’s about time for some civil unrest JaneJudge. I too have friends in Europe who cannot believe what we are putting up with in the UK, from a corrupt and heartless government. What’s happened to the collective anger of the Poll Tax protests! Where is the fire in the belly of the UK people! Have we become so passive that we will accept anything thrown at us - no matter how unjust! If people throughout history had done this, what a sorry world we would now be living in. We have to stand up, publicly, for what is right!

I seem to remember that trade unions were decimated by Thatcher but people still had recent memories of protest. The Labour Party, trade unions and other groups would work together to support protest.

Today, we lack the organisation to pull together large protests and until ordinary people band together again civil unrest may take the form of rioting and destruction.

It’s altogether a very uncomfortable place to be.

I have managed to find the answer to my question:

www.telegraph.co.uk/tax/news/council-tax-energy-rebate-bills-band-how-work-2022/

Those exempt from paying council tax, including students and retirees on pension credit, will still be able to receive the grant. Those living by themselves and receiving the single person discount, which reduces their council tax bill by 25pc, will also be entitled to the full £150 rebate

So it's not really a rebate, as you don't have to have paid it to get it 'back', but a grant.
Though I don't suppose it matters what it is called, as long as it is helpful to its recipients.

Now I am wondering which pot it is being paid out of, and if it will it be added onto future years council tax bills in exactly the same way that the £200 is being added to future energy bills.
If that is what happens, the poorest, whatever their age, really are in for some dreadful times ahead.

Perhaps a starting point could be for those who have Tory MPs to write to them in no uncertain terms saying just how angry they are. ~If the MPs see their positions are not as secure as they hoped they might think again.
My MP( Labour does reply ).

Agree ayse - very uncomfortable! I wonder if so many years of Conservative government has led to a generation of people who only care about ‘the individual’. The Conservative ethos is ‘individual over society’. Remember Thatcher’s infamous ‘there’s no such thing as society’. Are we now a nation of people who believe this. What a sad day!

Martin Lewis comments:

youtu.be/HUP4p8QrLIw

In my opinion, when people last voted Tory they knew what they were getting as they had already had years of it. When they voted for Boris, they knew him to be the liar, clown and cheat that he always has been.

When people voted Brexit, they were choosing to put all the power in the hands of our own government. No checks or influences on that power, just isolation and absolute power.

It seems from GN that most people who voted Tory did so because of Brexit or because 'the alternative would be unthinkable'. Well we've got Brexit and it's delivering absolutely nothing. We didn't get the opposition party, but the actions of the Tory party are becoming more unthinkable day after day.

People will say 'ohhh well pandemic/Brexit teething troubles/worldwide energy prices'.....but it isn't that, it's the way this government is handling things that is making life harder. Other governments are doing better. Even the 'yes but vaccines' argument doesn't really stack up if you look at how other countries have fared.

Experience shows that things get worse for the poorest and the rich become billionaires under Tory governments. We all knew that. That is what is happening now.

Until the Tories push things far enough for some people to swop excuses for anger then we are stuck with this. I wonder if that will ever happen.

Just saw this tweet. Not something I’d thought of

Anyone know if
@educationgovuk
are going to be helping schools with gas and electric bills? Ours has just gone up by £56,000 for next year?
Total gas and electric for year ahead is now £121,000!

Westendgirl
I've written to my MP (Tory) about
The parties
Sewage in rivers
Council funding
Energy Prices
Covid response
Food banks
PPE
School dinners
Hunting
Statues
Black Lives Matter
Our local beach

He has only replied once on the subject of sewers to say that he couldn't vote as he was at COP.

Please don't stop writing to your MPs but it's not always productive. Any attempt to get things done through my safe seat Tory millionaire landowner is futile.

Meanwhile we find out it is costing the taxpayer nearly £5 MILLION a day to house illegal Channel migrants in hotels.

??

Coastpath ???

Urmstongran

Meanwhile we find out it is costing the taxpayer nearly £5 MILLION a day to house illegal Channel migrants in hotels.

??

Oh for goodness sake. Your right wing tropes and constant gaslighting are getting so tedious.

Mps have no idea how ordinary people live,I would feel wealthy if I had their income

And ONE MILLION pounds a DAY to store useless PPE bought by the MATES of boris who knew damn all about PPE !
I'd much rather pay to house and feed people desperate to get to what they see as a better life .
I guess thats why I'm a socialist and vote SNP and your a Tory

NEVER trust a tory ...anyone who isn't a millionaire at least is delusional if they think tories work for the ordinary man..Look back in history ,even recent history and check for yourself .Self serving, cheating ,money grabbing B----ards one and all !!

They are asylum seekers, not illegal immigrants.

They come here for good reasons and they want to work.
We need workers.
We need our government to provide a good system to make this work rather than asking underfunded local councils to house these men, women and children who are just like you and me, but find themselves in desperate situations.

BlueBelle

Jane I don’t fully agree why do only people on pension credit get thought about There are many of us who have tried to be careful throughout our lives put a bit away for our old age and don’t qualify although we don’t have a very big annual income
It’s those that are just above pension credit that are going to suffer

Agreed, I think the winter fuel allowance should stay, some people dont qualify for pension credit, get only the full state pension, and the fuel allowance is welcome. The people who suggest that only people on pension credit should get WFA, are financially wealthy, some state they give it to charity, good luck to them they can afford to do it. I hope to retire in 2023 when I am 66. I will get a occupational pension and a reduced state pension of about £10.00 per week due to contracting out of our pensions, trust me that money will be welcome.

Whitewavemark2

Urmstongran

Meanwhile we find out it is costing the taxpayer nearly £5 MILLION a day to house illegal Channel migrants in hotels.

??

Oh for goodness sake. Your right wing tropes and constant gaslighting are getting so tedious.

Why not do the sensible thing. Give them a 6 month visa, some sort of ID card, let them find work and pay some rent to a hostel. If they manage to find work then review every 6 months. If successful why shouldn’t they stay and continue to work, pay tax and become part of our society? We do less than many other countries to help asylum seekers and refugees.

It is a typical far right tactic.

Don’t look at the bloody chaos the government is causing.

Let’s scapegoat those least able to defend themselves.

What a nasty nasty thing to do.