Charities in urgent energy bills action call

Charities have called on the Government to take urgent action to tackle the looming energy bill crisis.

An alliance of 25 charities – including Save the Children, AgeUK,EndFuelPovertyCoalition,WWF,GreenAllianceand Greenpeace – say emergency funding is needed to support the most vulnerable.

InalettertoPrimeMinister Boris Johnson and Chancellor RishiSunak,thecharitieswarn thatfuelpovertycouldincrease from four to six million households, leaving people having to choose between heating and eating, as well as an increase in the number of people dying in cold homes.

They say emergency support for the most vulnerable should be funded in part by a windfall tax on the fossil fuel industry.

The letter comes as experts predict huge domestic heating bills following a spike in the price of gas on the world markets.

Dan Paskins, of Save the Children, said: "The cost-ofliving crisis, fuelled by soaring energy prices, is totally unsustainable and is hitting the lowest-income families the hardest.

"Parents we work with tell us that they're struggling to meetbasicneeds,leavingthem having to make impossible choices between heating their homes and buying clothes for theirchildren,andchildrenare paying the price."

Dr Doug Parr, policy director at Greenpeace UK, said: "A windfalltaxonoilandgascompanies would be a fair way to help finance the transition as we exit fossil fuel production."

Simon Francis, co-ordinator of the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, said: "Fuel poverty is a public health and poverty crisis but can only be solved by economic measures, and the Government must do everything possible to help people.”