Wishart urges eligible constituents to apply for Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Fund

Published date : 27 February, 2023

News Release from Pete Wishart MP

Attn: News Desk For immediate release 27 February 2023

Pete Wishart, MP for Perth and North Perthshire, has urged eligible constituents to apply for the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Fund, which went live today (27 February). The fund applies to households without a direct relationship to a domestic electricity supplier and who consequently have not been able to receive the monthly energy bill support payments since October. It is estimated that around 900,000 households across the UK are eligible for the new support scheme.

The UK Government has also announced that the Alternative Fuel Payment Alternative Fund – a similar scheme for households who use alternative fuels as their main source of heating, providing £200 towards energy costs – will be live by 6th March.

Commenting, Mr Wishart said:

“I welcome the news that this scheme has finally gone live, with the equivalent scheme for alternative fuel users expected imminently, and I urge all eligible households to apply as quickly as possible. However, this announcement will likely be cold comfort for these people who have been left to fend for themselves throughout one of the most challenging winters in decades.

“Over the past few months, my office has been assisting with an unprecedented volume of cases relating to energy bill support, particularly from constituents living in homes with alternative electricity and heating supplies. Throughout practically all of these cases, I have been told of the immense financial hardship that these people have had endure as a result of the lack of support from the UK Government up to this point.

“I will now be posing this question to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero: Why has it taken until the end of February to implement a scheme which served the purpose of helping people through winter?”

ENDS

Notes:

You can find more details on the scheme, here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/900000-more-households-to-benefit-from-400-of-government-energy-bill-support
To apply for the scheme, constituents can follow this link: https://www.gov.uk/apply-energy-bill-support-if-not-automatic
If they do not have access to online forums, they can also call the helpline on: 0808 1753 287
Please also find attached an infographic from the Department with the relevant information
If you need to contact Mr Wishart, please email me or call his office on 01738 639 598

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