Disabled People Against Cuts in Sheffield tell us they expect to have to make sacrifices after yesterday’s energy price cap hike announcement<\/p>\n
Author: Chris Davis-SmithPublished 7 minutes ago<\/p>\n
Disabled people across South Yorkshire & North Derbyshire tell us they’re preparing to ‘skip meals’ once the weather gets colder.<\/p>\n
From October, millions of people across Britain will pay an average of around \u00a335 more a year for their gas and electricity.<\/p>\n
But Jennifer Jones – from Disabled People Against Cuts in Sheffield – expects people with disabilities to struggle a lot more this winter:<\/p>\n
“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.<\/p>\n
“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?<\/p>\n
“We can’t even live in a basic way now, so what’s life going to be like in 5-10 years’ time?<\/p>\n
“People are struggling beyond belief.<\/p>\n
“There are people living in abject poverty already – how are they supposed to find the extra money?<\/p>\n
“I know 2% sounds like a small amount, but there are also going to be rises in food, fuel, and travel costs.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n
The regulator, Ofgem, announced a bigger than expected increase in the price cap – at 2% – on Wednesday.<\/p>\n