Keep Us Warm this Winter: Helping you cope with the winter ahead as fuel crisis hits

A sharp rise in the price of wholesale gas has come just before energy regulator Ofgem’s price cap for suppliers is raised.

The price cap was introduced in January, 2019, and since then most energy firms have based default-tarriff prices on the price cap’s rate.

Pressure on wholesale gas prices has come from last winter being colder than usual in Europe, which meant he amount of stored gas was lower before a more recent increase in demand from Asian countries – which had also endured a cold winter.

Amid the concerns and with winter approaching, nobody should face the choice between eating or heating.

Today, this newspaper is joining with its sister titles across JPIMedia to launch our campaign Keep Us Warm This Winter.

As part of this, we will make sure you, our readers, have all the information you need about the fuel crisis, keep you up to date with developments and ways to ensure you can cope with the winter ahead.

We will put pressure on Government to ensure no vulnerable families find themselves without heating this winter and demand extra payments to those families to cover the excess heating charges.

We will work to help you find solutions to your individual concerns and put those concerns to our MPs and Government.

We will stand up for families in our communities as they face one of the toughest winters ever.

This week Boris Johnson warned that supermarket shelves could be empty for months due to food shortages.

Some people have already had to cope with their energy firms going bust, and others face an uncertain time wondering if theirs will be next.

There is fear that spiralling fuel costs could plunge more people into fuel poverty, where the choice of eating or heating becomes a harsh reality for many more families.

Our foodbanks may face yet more pressure as a result, and there have been stark warnings about the potential for job losses at affected companies, a three-day week and shortages of food and even Covid booster vaccinations due to CO2 problems.

Horsham Matters, which runs their town’s foodbank, said it expected demand to soar. Managing director Emma Elnaugh said: “The rise in fuel costs, coinciding with the end to furlough and the cut in Universal Credit, will be a tipping point for many and have a huge impact on those already struggling to feed their families.

“Household budgets will be stretched to breaking point by the increase, and we expect demand for our services to soar at a time when we are already supporting more people than ever.

“Those who pay their fuel bills monthly or quarterly won’t qualify for fuel vouchers, leaving them with the stark choice of heating their homes or putting food on the table.”

“We urge the community to support us at this challenging time and donate what they can to help support those in need. This can be done via our website, www.horsham-matters.com and clicking on the ‘donate to us’ button, or by sending a cheque payable to Horsham Matters to Micah House, Blatchford Road RH13 5QR.

“The winter will be harsh one for many, and we hope the community will come together to help us ease the hardship of others.”

Peter Matejic, Deputy Director of Evidence & Impact at Joseph Rowntree Foundation said: “Rising energy prices are yet another indication that going ahead with the planned £20 per week cut to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credits would be a mistake.

“This increase was needed because levels of social security support were no longer adequate to protect families and going back to those levels now, when the cost of living is increasing, will be devastating to around 5.5 million families.”

He said this cut would result in millions of families across the country facing ‘unnecessary hardship and be forced to make impossible decisions between feeding their families, heating their homes, or paying the bills’.

We want to know how the fuel crisis is affecting you. Email your stories to [email protected]