Citizens Advice responds to Ofgem's price cap announcement
Responding to the latest Ofgem price cap announcement, Gillian Cooper, Director of Energy at Citizens Advice, said:
"Energy bills are going up again in July, which will be painful news for already stretched households.”
“One of the key tools to help people through this - the energy Debt Relief Scheme - keeps being delayed. The Scheme should be supporting people struggling with historic energy debt right now and the government needs to put it in place as soon as possible.
“And as we head into the summer the government must use this time to prepare wisely, ahead of autumn. Families with children, disabled people and those struggling to pay rent need better targeted support in place before it's too late.”
Katharine Gasnier, a local adviser from the energy team at Citizens Advice Arun & Chichester said:
"The people we help are really worried about what's coming next. Many are already living month to month with little to no spare income meaning they don’t have enough to even cover basic needs. Even small rises to bills push people further into debt, and food banks have become a lifeline rather than a last resort.
“Energy debt is now the most commonly reported form of debt we see, and the need for emergency fuel vouchers continues to grow year on year. The words I keep hearing are 'stress' and 'anxiety' – and the question people ask again and again is simply 'how will I cope?'"
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Notes to editors:
Citizens Advice is the people’s champion - supporting people across England, Wales and the Channel Islands through: the national charity Citizens Advice; the network of independent local Citizens Advice charities; and the Citizens Advice consumer service.
Our network of charities offers impartial advice online, over the phone, and in person, for free.
Citizens Advice helped 2.71 million people face to face, over the phone, by email and webchat in 2024-25. And we had 44 million visits to our website. For full service statistics see our monthly publication Advice trends.
Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 19,500 trained volunteers, working at over 1,900 locations across England, Wales and the Channel Islands.
Citizens Advice is the statutory consumer advocate for energy and postal markets. We provide supplier performance information to consumers and policy analysis to decision makers.
Citizens Advice consumer service can help with consumer issues like broken or faulty goods, or problems with energy, heat networks or post. You can get advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133 or 0808 223 1144 for Welsh language speakers.