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THE predicted 50 per cent rise in energy bills from April could trigger a national emergency for millions of older people, a charity has warned.
Age UK wrote to Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey today urging them to take immediate and decisive action on energy bills to “mitigate the potentially devastating impact of the escalating crisis.”
The letter says: “We know that many older people on low incomes already feel under so much financial pressure that they are rationing their energy use, and this is causing us real concern.
“It is … important that older people on low incomes have the confidence to keep their heating switched on so they can stay adequately warm over the next few months and protect their health.
“This means that the government must reassure them that, if they do so, they will not face an energy bill in the spring that will be beyond their means to pay.”
The government’s price cap, which limits the amounts that suppliers can charge, is already at a record-beating £1,277.
But analysts at Investec believe that it could rise further, to £1,995, on April 1.
