People in parts of Merseyside with prepayment meters are being urged to act as temperatures take a tumble.
With people across the UK receiving £400 under the government’s energy support scheme, while for many this is being applied automatically, those with prepayment meters are at risk of missing out.
Concerned at recent data released showing 1.3m in vouchers are yet to be redeemed, meaning £80m of government support remains unclaimed from many of the UK’s most vulnerable families, Sefton Council has issued a reminder to residents to take their vouchers to be redeemed.
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Each month, people should receive a £66 voucher in the post that can be used when topping up. Paypoint have said, however, that only 75% of October’s vouchers were claimed and only 63% of November’s.
The vouchers are being sent out from suppliers to arrive around the 17th of each month and can then be cashed at Post Officers and shops with PayPoint machines.
During this increasingly cold spell, as Christmas looms on the horizon, Sefton’s cabinet member for communities and housing, Cllr Trish Hardy urges Sefton residents to check if they have the vouchers they are entitled to.
Cllr Hardy said: “With domestic energy bills now almost double what they were last winter, alongside rising prices in the shops, inflation at a 40-year high and interest rates rising, people need all the help they can get.
“I know the vouchers are each valid for three months so it may be that people have been saving them for the kind of really cold weather we are having now.
“However, I want to make sure that those households with prepayment meters, who are already forced to pay more for their energy than other customers, are not missing out on this support.”
Even with the energy support payments, many residents will need extra support as the temperature continues to drop and Sefton Council has urged residents in need of support during to visit their Cost of Living hub online.
Information is also available online at dozens of warm places, which have made available for residents to drop in with no appointment needed to make use of the facilities and keep warm this winter.
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