Food and fuel poverty has more than tripled in a year, says Citizens Advice

theguardian.com:

The number of people seeking help because they cannot afford both food and energy has risen more than threefold in a year, according to new data that highlights the increasingly tough choices households face between heating and eating.

The figures, published by Citizens Advice, lay bare the difficulties caused by spiralling domestic energy costs, which charities say are driving millions into fuel poverty.

The cap on average household gas and electricity bills in the UK – set by energy regulator Ofgem – is likely to soar in October from £1,971 to £3,500, according to forecasts issued last week.

The level of the cap will be revealed on 26 August, and further rises are possible in January. This prompted a clamour for more government and the two Tory leadership contenders, Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss support. But the new data shows that the number of people struggling to eat and pay for energy has already surged, even before the new cap kicks in.

Between April and June last year, 297 people contacted Citizens Advice for help with both food bank referrals and money to top up their energy pre-payment meter. In the same period of 2022, the number of people suffering both problems surged to 1,002, an increase of 237% in the space of a year.

Morgan Wild, head of policy at Citizens Advice, said the numbers were “truly shocking”. “That’s people who literally can’t afford to either keep their lights on or put food on the table,” he said.

The punishing energy costs are due partly to Russia having cut gas flows into Europe, amid the ongoing stand-off over the war in Ukraine, sending gas markets soaring.

Given the predicted increase in the energy price cap, the National Energy Action (NEA) charity has added half a million households to its