Disabled People Against Cuts in Sheffield tell us they expect to have to make sacrifices after yesterday’s energy price cap hike announcement

Author: Chris Davis-SmithPublished 7 minutes ago

Disabled people across South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire tell us they’re preparing to ‘skip meals’ once the weather gets colder.

From October, millions of people across Britain will pay an average of around £35 more a year for their gas and electricity.

But Jennifer Jones – from Disabled People Against Cuts in Sheffield – expects people with disabilities to struggle a lot more this winter:

“There’s got to be a way out of this situation – and the way out of this situation is for the government & the energy companies to sit in a room together and come up with a solution that does not involve punishing the public like this.

“These increases hurt us. When we’re looking at our own disabled children, we often think about the future – what kind of future is there going to be for disabled children in this country?

“We can’t even live in a basic way now, so what’s life going to be like in 5-10 years’ time?

“People are struggling beyond belief.

“There are people living in abject poverty already – how are they supposed to find the extra money?

“I know 2% sounds like a small amount, but there are also going to be rises in food, fuel, and travel costs.

“It shouldn’t be such a huge ask in 2025 – in a country as rich as this one – for the most vulnerable people – to be supported to live in a basic way.”

The regulator, Ofgem, announced a bigger than expected increase in the price cap – at 2% – on Wednesday.

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