A disabled woman who cannot afford to pay her crippling energy bills says the latest price hike will force even more Scots into debt and poverty
Julie Hawkins, who relies on an electric feeding machine to stay alive, says she’s been left penniless and unable to heat her home.
Regulator Ofgem has raised the energy price cap from October, taking the average gas and electricity bill to £3,549 a year.
Now Julie is calling on the government to step up and provide financial assistance to those already struggling to survive.
She told the Glasgow Times: “This is going to cripple people who are already having to choose between heating or eating. An 80 per cent hike is cruel, heartless and completely unnecessary.
“I’ve had to cancel my direct debt because I just can’t afford to pay my fuel bills and I dread to think how this will impact others in October.
“The cost of living is sky high and people like me are just being left to fall into more and more debt. I’d like to invite greedy energy bosses to spend time in my home and see what it’s really like to feel too scared to turn on the heating or to boil a kettle.
“It’s about time our governments stepped up to put an end to the misery of rising energy bills. I genuinely think more people will end up destitute if a safety net of some sort isn’t introduced soon.
“I know every household is being given £400 towards energy costs, but that’s just a drop in the ocean. This is going to have a devasting impact on people."
Julie, who suffers from epilepsy and Barrett's disease, is unable to eat solids and relies on a machine to pump nutrients into her body.
We previously told how the 61-year-old cancelled her monthly direct debit with ScottishPower after claiming they had put her on an higher tariff than they promised.
After the Glasgow Times revealed her plight, ScottishPower gave her a £570 payment through its hardship fund to help with some of the bill.
Julie, from Carstairs in South Lanarkshire, added: “I can’t afford to pay what they are asking so the only option I had left was to stop my direct debit.
“I’m unable to eat solids and need to charge up my machine daily to keep me alive. I also need to keep a sensor plugged in to alert a nurse if I have a seizure.
“I realise that I could end up seriously ill or dead, but what is the alternative?"
However, ScottishPower insisted her bills were “accurate” and based on her usage.
Experts predict that the cost of electricity and gas will rise again at the beginning of 2023, a move which could see the average household's annual bill rocket to £5,400
Figures show that ScottishPower chief executive Keith Anderson was paid an eye-watering £1.15m salary last year and a £140,000 pension benefit.
A spokesman for the energy giant said: "Mrs Hawkins’ monthly payment was calculated accurately based on meter reading information she shared with us and reflected actual energy use at the property.
“We’ve liaised with Citizens Advice regarding her case and our customer service team has spoken to her about the information and support available to help her.
"We regret the circumstances Mrs Hawkins faces and urge her to apply for the help available to her.
“We have set up the ScottishPower Hardship Fund, which is available all-year round to customers who currently receive, or recently received, their household energy supply from ScottishPower and are in arrears due to financial hardship.”
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
This website and associated newspapers adhere to the Independent Press Standards Organisation's Editors' Code of Practice. If you have a complaint about the editorial content which relates to inaccuracy or intrusion, then please contact the editor here. If you are dissatisfied with the response provided you can contact IPSO here
© 2001-2022. This site is part of Newsquest's audited local newspaper network. A Gannett Company. Newsquest Media Group Ltd, Loudwater Mill, Station Road, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire. HP10 9TY. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |
Data returned from the Piano 'meterActive/meterExpired' callback event.
As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles.
Those ads you do see are predominantly from local businesses promoting local services.
These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local community.
It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times.