A warning has been issued for people who are entitled to energy bill support from the Government.
The Government previously announced the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS), which meant people could get a £400 boost for energy bills over winter 2022 and 2023. All households with domestic electricity connection are eligible for the discount.
The discount is automatic and will have first been applied to household electricity bills in October last year. A further £67 will be applied in February and March.
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However, the way the discount is applied depends on how people pay for their energy. Those with a traditional prepayment meter receive their discount either by redeemable vouchers sent by text, email or post or an automatic credit when people top up at their usual top-up point.
But recent figures from the government revealed that almost a quarter (24%) of EBSS vouchers designed to help the most vulnerable households with their gas and electricity bills have not yet been redeemed.
On Monday (February 27), Wirral West MP Margaret Greenwood told the ECHO that in October and November 2022, a huge 31.75% of vouchers were not redeemed, totalling a value of £6.6m.
MP Greenwood said: "It may be that some have been lost, delayed or unclaimed. These vouchers were worth an extraordinary sum of money. Many people are struggling with bills at the moment, and this support is vital.
“I would urge people who have elderly or vulnerable family members or friends to check and make sure that they have received the vouchers that they are entitled to and have redeemed them. People who struggle to read and write might also find it difficult to redeem vouchers, so I would call on family members and friends to help them out too.
“If people do not think that they have received their vouchers, I would urge them to contact their energy supplier."
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