Vulnerable people ‘choosing to eat or heat homes’ as campaigners call for more energy support
A pensioner says she feels people are being "left behind", adding: "I've worked all my life, don't I deserve warmth and comfort in my house?"
A pensioner who has worked since she was 11 years old says she has to choose between heating her home or buying food as campaigners call for more help for those who cannot afford to pay their bills.
Linette Johnson, a Splott community volunteer, said people are "desperate" while energy companies are "making profits but are not giving it back".
She feels people are being "left behind", adding: "I've worked all my life, don't I deserve warmth and comfort in my house?"
ITV Wales' cost-of-living correspondent Carole Green spoke to Linette Johnson, a Splott community volunteer
Her comments come as the Senedd's Petitions Committee warned that more support to stop vulnerable people being forced into using energy pre-payment meters "could save lives".
It's calling for a new social tariff for vulnerable people to provide more support for those who cannot afford to pay their bills.
Social tariffs are discounted energy bills available to vulnerable people enabling them to continue to heat their homes without paying full price.
Pensioner Mary Clements, who is a volunteer at a local breakfast club, told ITV News Wales she is "frightened" her energy bills are going to go up.
She said: "I had a monthly bill the other week and that was £172. I know everyone thinks it's not a lot of money but for me as a pensioner it's a lot of money."
She added: "At the moment I have been asked to have a smart meter. I don't want a smart meter.
"I keep getting emails and letters to go on to a smart meter. I'm okay at the moment doing what I'm doing but I'm frightened to have another meter going up and up. I don't know how I'm going to deal with it with the pension."
Ms Johnson, who is now retired, said they're trying to do their best to support people at the volunteer centre.
She said: "We want to do our best to support people but it's like the energy companies are putting things up and up.
"People's income is not going up to match it. It's a negative effect on people and where we are in the world and society we are living in, we shouldn't be having this discussion."
The Petitions Committee’s latest report looks into the pre-payment meter scandal which saw thousands of people having the devices forcibly installed in their homes by energy companies after falling behind on bill payments.
Many of the victims were vulnerable, including disabled people, older people and families with infant children.
The meters are controversial because they are a more expensive way to buy energy and can push people deeper into debt. If you can’t afford to top up, you can be left without heating.
Since the pre-payment meter scandal, energy companies are now required to follow a code of practice outlawing involuntary installations of pre-payment meters for the highest-risk customers.
Jack Sargeant MS, Chair of the Petitions Committee, said "this is a life or death situation here"
Mr Sargeant said: "We’re urging the energy regulator Ofgem to monitor this code of practice and to change things if it isn’t working.
"Although there is a limit to what the Welsh Government can do in this reserved matter, the Committee urges them to read this report and make representations to the UK Government and Ofgem on a range of issues.
"Improving advice services in Wales and making sure people know where to turn to for help if they are struggling is something that the Welsh Government could - and should - be doing immediately.
"Having access to heat and light can be a matter of life and death. I would urge the Welsh and UK Governments as well as Ofgem to read this report and enact our recommendations as soon as possible – this could save lives."
What are the committee's concerns?
Since the pre-payment meter scandal, energy companies must follow a code of practice outlawing involuntary installations of pre-payment meters for the highest-risk customers.
One of the committee’s main concerns is that this code of practice doesn’t go far enough.
The World Health Organisation defines patients as elderly if over 65.
However, the Code of Practice for energy companies only classifies someone as "vulnerable" if they’re over 75 years of age.
These concerns were also applicable to young children, who are only classed as vulnerable under two years old.
But many households will have pre-school children older than the cut-off.
With around 200,000 households in Wales using pre-payment meters for their mains gas and electricity, the committee’s report also urges for a new social tariff for vulnerable people to provide more support for those in the greatest need.
Hayley Macnamara, Community Housing Cymru’s cost of living lead, said: “The Petition's Committee's recommendations around forced prepayment meters, and the creation of an energy social tariff are an encouraging step in the right direction for thousands of Wales’s most vulnerable people, including many who live in housing association homes.“On Fuel Poverty Awareness Day we stand with National Energy Action to call for the urgent implementation of these measures to ensure people on the lowest incomes can heat their homes without the fear of facing rising debt."Housing associations and their partners are doing all they can to help people at this challenging time. We would encourage anyone living in a housing association home in Wales to get in touch with their landlord if they are concerned about financial difficulties.”
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