Good morning. Welcome back to Survival Guide. Isabella here.
It has now been two years since Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine and energy bills were sent surging. The impact has been catastrophic.
It was one of the biggest and most debilitating contributors to the cost of living crisis and triggered extortionate energy bills, felt most deeply by those on the lowest incomes.
Energy bills are set to fall in April but for many it’s already too late. The Big Issue’s Liam Geraghty recently shone a light on council house residents living in Lambeth, South London, who fear being evicted after their energy bills have skyrocketed 350%.
We meet one of the tenants, Tamara, in a moment. And head to the end of the newsletter for advice if you can’t afford to pay your energy bills.
Also this week, hero builders are stepping in to help a stroke survivor who is currently a “prisoner in his own room”.
On a personal note, I'm off on annual leave so there won't be a newsletter next week, but we'll be back in your inbox soon!
Tamara Lyn-Grant, a mother of three, is one of a number of council flat tenants on an estate in Lambeth who fears eviction because of surging energy bills
“I’m struggling,” she says. “I’m feeling it. Let’s just say if it wasn’t for my mum then I don’t know what I would do because I’m struggling to put money on my prepaid meter. Luckily my mum will bring around food shopping because I haven’t been able to do grocery shopping for ages,” she said.
Residents have seen a 350% rise in their service charge, with some racking up thousands of pounds in rent arrears as they try to make ends meet.
It’s because they are on communal heat networks, which provide heating to tenants across blocks of flats. It’s traditionally supposed to be more affordable, but it’s not protected by Ofgem’s price cap leaving tenants feeling the fallout from rising commercial prices. Residents also do not have the choice to switch suppliers or turn off their heating.
“I’m looking for work now but I’ve had to turn down an offer for a stock-taking job because of the hours that were given,” Tamara says. “My mum’s 74 so I couldn’t ask her to watch the kids because they’d want me to finish at 10 o’clock at night.
“I’m constantly in my overdraft. Apart from my mum, I don’t want to be reaching out to other people saying, ‘Oh, can I borrow some money this week just to be able to pay my heating?’”
UK energy bills to fall – but millions still live in dangerously cold and damp homes. Ofgem has announced a new energy price cap for April and our bills our set to drop, but charities still have serious concerns. Get the latest.
Tories have promised free childcare for working families. But there's a major problem. There are too few nursery spaces for children, with waiting lists stretching years into the future and parents putting their name down before they are even pregnant. Read about it.
Selling off social housing stinks of short-term thinking from local councils. With authorities around the country facing bankruptcy, vacant housing is being auctioned off for a quick buck, despite the housing crisis. Find out more.
One in five people see DWP benefits stopped for not switching to universal credit. This is despite the DWP admitting that up to 900,000 people on legacy benefits would be worse off under universal credit. Get the story.
Jeremy Hunt to unveil 99% mortgages in Spring Budget. But what does it mean for the housing crisis? The scheme could put homeowners at risk if they can’t keep up with high mortgage rates. Read more.
'It's a win-win solution': Building social housing could add £50bn to UK economy, study finds. The next government should invest in building 90,000 social homes a year to end the housing crisis and give the taxpayer a boost on jobs, analysis shows. Here’s more.
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Stroke victim is a 'prisoner in his front room' – so these hero builders are stepping in to change that
Keith and Linda Parry spent four wonderful decades of married life together. But everything changed in 2021.
Linda heard her husband stumble upstairs and fall into their wardrobe. “I came in and I knew instantly – he was looking at me totally blank. I said ‘My God Keith, you’ve had a stroke.’”
The debilitating stroke robbed the dad-of-three of his speech and mobility. After seven months in hospital, doctors told Linda that a nursing home was the only option.
“I said: ‘No way, he’s coming home, where he belongs,’” she says.
Linda had a specialist bed and lifting equipment installed in the lounge of their home. Keith has slept there ever since, confined to their front room. “It’s hard for dignity,” Linda adds.
Luckily, help is at hand. Band of Builders – a group run by volunteer tradespeople – is stepping in to build Keith a new ground floor room.
The charity completes practical projects to help members of the UK construction industry and their families who are battling illness or injury.
But they can’t do it alone – they need plant workers, bricklayers, builders, roofers, plumbers, electricians, decorators to build Keith’s new room.
Saving those coins: Where to get help to pay your energy bills
Good news: our energy bills are set to drop in April. They will be down to an average of £1,928 each year for a typical household. This is the lowest in two years.
But this is still 60% higher than energy bills seen before the cost of living crisis, and charities worry that they are still too expensive for households struggling to cope with essential costs.
There is help out there and it’s so vital that you ask for support if you need it.
