Here’s last week’s launch press release from Cadent foundation about the DAWS initiative https://cadentgas.com/news-latest/news-archive/september-2024/launch-of-daws-partnership-announcement
- New report from Resolution Foundation focuses on need for better targeting of support than WFP has previously allowed. https://www.resolutionfoundation.org/press-releases/7-7-million-households-suffering-from-fuel-stress/
Cold Comfort examines the extent of fuel stress across Britain – defined as families needing to spend more than 10 per cent of their income after-housing-costs on heating their homes (which is the definition of ‘fuel poverty’ in Scotland and Northern Ireland) – and how policy can support these households, particularly in the context of the decision to end the universal WFP for pensioners.
Overall, 7.7 million families suffered fuel stress in England in 2023-24 (37 per cent of all households). The situation is most stark for single parent households, with three-in-four (77 per cent) likely to experience fuel stress this winter.
The majority of couples with children are also likely to experience fuel stress – at 56 per cent – which is more than twice the rate seen among pensioners households, where almost one-in-four pensioner households (24 per cent) are in fuel stress.
Though Cornwall Insight is now predicting that price cap rates will fall slightly in Jan- March Predictions & Insights into the Default Tariff Cap (Price Cap) (cornwall-insight.com) a 1% drop to £1697 for typical DFDD and continue to decline slightly thereafter
Coal no more End of an era as Britain’s last coal-fired power plant shuts down | Energy industry | The Guardian
- Latest debt figures announced by ofgem – here’s some analysis by the BFY group
Energy debt is the worst it’s ever been
Energy debt has grown to £3.7 billion for Q2 2024, a jump of £387 million on the previous quarter. This is the 7th consecutive increase, averaging £243 million per quarter.
The number of customers in debt increased by 230k to 3.4 million, following two consecutive falls. The average debt per customer is now a record £1,094, and more than 56% of these customers have no arrangement in place to repay debt.
In the last 12 months, the total value of debt has grown by £1.1 billion. This is mainly driven by more debts without a payment arrangement, with higher balances:
- The number of debts without a payment arrangement grew by 300k to 1.9 million
- The average balance without an arrangement went up by £350 to £1,450.
- 89% of the £1.1 billion increase in debt in the last 12 months has no arrangement in place to repay.