Households in North Lanarkshire reveal 'harrowing' details of energy poverty as prices remain high

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A Lanarkshire MP has revealed she's been listening to "harrowing" cases of energy poverty in the homes of constituents - as the big energy companies continue to announce eye-watering profits.Motherwell and Wishaw MP Marion Fellows says constituents have come to her with tales of "dire fuel poverty" and spiralling debt levels affecting disability and low-income households as families battle the cost-of-living crisis.The SNP MP pointed to the huge profits being posted by energy companies in contrast to the struggle to make ends meet faced by her constituents.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android She said that the amount of UK households in fuel poverty will soon hit six million and that total energy debt now stands at £6 billion.Though regulator Ofgem has lowered the energy price cap from this April by 12 per cent, the average bill of £1,690 is still over 50 per cent higher than the £1,138 average customers were paying before the energy crisis began in autumn 2022.Advice Direct Scotland this week launched a campaign calling for the introduction of a new social-energy tariff that would automatically put struggling households on the cheapest energy deal.That was after figures from the Scottish House Condition Survey for 2022 showed that almost a third of households were in fuel poverty.Figures released