Due to postal strikes, more than one million households with pre-payment meters did not use vouchers designed to help them pay their energy bills during this month’s brutal cold wave.
This winter, every household is eligible for a £400 energy rebate, payable in six monthly amounts of £67.
Those who pay by direct debit receive the discounts instantly, while those with prepayment meters must redeem the vouchers at their usual top-up location, such as a PayPoint or Post Office branch.
According to data from PayPoint through December 18, just 27% of coupons supplied under the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) for people with traditional prepayment meters were redeemed in December.
On December 15, Royal Mail postal workers pose for a photograph on a picket line in Leeds
Mick McCulloch complained on Twitter on December 18 that he had not yet received his voucher owing to postal delays.
In comparison, 80% of the vouchers provided in October and 73% of the vouchers distributed in November have been redeemed, indicating a significant decrease in the number of households redeeming their payments this month.
Given the expectation for severe winter weather right after Christmas, evidence that the program is not functioning as intended may raise worries.
PayPoint stated that the decrease in claims this month could be attributed to labor disputes in the United Kingdom that have caused delivery delays.
Throughout November and December, Royal Mail employees went on strike for multiple days owing to a protracted disagreement with the government over wages, jobs, and working conditions.
Communication Workers Union (CWU) members are scheduled to strike on Friday, March 23, and Saturday, March 24.
Mick McCulloch complained on Twitter on December 18 that he had yet to get his gift certificate owing to postal delays.
I am waiting for my winter energy voucher payment, which is trapped in the mail. I have not received November or December payments, and neither have thousands of other people with pre-pay meters. Once again, the poorest suffer the most as a result of this postal strike.
This winter, households across the United Kingdom will get $400 in payments to assist with their heating bills.
The bulk of customers have the money withdrawn automatically from their energy bills. Those who pay with a conventional prepayment meter, however, must redeem coupons.
In December, only 27% of vouchers distributed under the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) for individuals with conventional prepayment meters were redeemed.
The vouchers have an expiration date, and those issued in December cannot be redeemed after March 8.
PayPoint, which provides payment services in 28,000 UK merchants such as newsagents and convenience stores, and through which homeowners may redeem postal vouchers in-store, said that December’s redemption numbers were lower than anticipated.
Approximately three-quarters of all vouchers are typically mailed, while the remaining quarter are sent through email.
Only 17% of December’s postal coupons have been redeemed, a significant decrease compared to October’s and November’s redemption rates of 78% and 74%, respectively.
Meanwhile, 63% of December’s email-issued vouchers have been claimed.
70-85% of coupons from similar programs, such as the Warm Home Discount, are often used, according to people acquainted with government programs.
It means that homes have not received vouchers mailed this month, despite recent below-freezing conditions across the nation.
Grant Shapps, secretary of business and energy, stated yesterday that energy corporations “are not geared up” to handle the plan adequately.
He stated that suppliers distribute vouchers in various ways and accused some of not answering the phone when clients contacted.
“What bothers me is the time between sending out vouchers and people finding them,” he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.
“There is no one way to do this because energy companies give them out in various ways, sometimes via text message, sometimes via email, and sometimes via the door.”
However, PayPoint emphasized that individuals can still claim their government discounts at early morning and late night independent stores.
Steve O’Neill, director of corporate relations and marketing at PayPoint, stated, “Tens of thousands of independent businesses are doing an outstanding job processing EBSS vouchers from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. daily, thanks to their dedication to serving their communities.”
People can also contact their energy provider to have their voucher reissued, to update their contact information, or to receive vouchers via email rather than via mail.
The United Kingdom is currently experiencing major industrial action, including yesterday’s walkout by paramedics.
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