Simon Francis, coordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, insists Ministers need to do more as they look to support households struggling with energy bills.
He said: “The Energy Secretary is right that households need more help. Volatile gas prices are driving the next increase in energy bills and these are set by what global markets determine.
“When the new price cap is announced, every unit of gas is likely to come in at 26 per cent higher than last year and more than 150 per cent higher than in winter 2020. This will force households to spend more on the same amount of energy, or cut back even more on their energy use.
“The government has made a start by cutting VAT on electricity and extending the Warm Home Discount last year, but Ministers must go further and faster.
“That means funding a proper energy debt relief scheme before winter and getting insulation and heat pumps into the homes that need them most.
“But while millions of households suffer, a handful of energy firms have banked more than £6 billion in UK profits this year alone.
“Billpayers are being asked to pay more, while billionaires count the profits.”
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