Energy bills help 'doesn't go far enough'
Families in the West Midlands say they are worried about paying winter energy bills.
Key points
- Chancellor John Healey announced a £100 household energy payment and a plan to remove gas standing charges.
- West Midlands families said the £100 is helpful but not enough to cover winter bills.
- The VAT cut on electricity bills will be extended to July next year.
Households in the West Midlands have told the BBC that the government's help with energy bills does not go far enough, after Chancellor John Healey announced a £100 household energy payment and a future plan to remove gas standing charges in the Budget.
Families said they were grateful for the assistance but remained concerned about their finances over the winter.
Families voice concerns
Kelly Birkett, a personal accountant from Redditch and a married mum-of-two, said the £100 "just gets absorbed into everything else families have to pay for". She said her family was already considering what to cut back on, and that with temperatures dropping the heating would have to be on.
Mark Sumner, a coach driver from Alcester, said he and his wife had sold their previous home partly to clear old debts from bills including energy. He said the announced help was helpful but "probably only covers one month" of bills.
The £100 is good, but it's not great. It just gets absorbed into everything else families have to pay for, just to get by.
— Kelly Birkett
What the government said
The government said millions of families would benefit from Budget measures including freezing fuel duty, a 3.9% minimum wage increase and scrapping plans to reduce the £20,000 tax-free limit on ISAs. Healey said the energy announcement was "just a small part" of the government's help for families, and that conflict in the Middle East and Europe was hitting households through higher everyday costs.
There is no definitive date for scrapping the gas standing charge, but the Treasury has committed to doing it in 2027 or as soon as possible after. The VAT cut on electricity bills, due to end in April, will be extended to July next year.
