Gypsies and Travellers fear missing out on energy bills support
Gypsy and Traveller groups are calling on the government to ensure thousands of households living in park homes are not excluded from its energy bills support scheme this winter as bills soar.
The scheme will pay out a total of £400 to all households in Great Britain with a domestic electricity connection between October and March, with monthly payments administered by their energy supplier.
Thousands of Gypsy and Traveller households live on sites, owned privately or by a local authority, where most do not have their own domestic electricity contract. The charity Friends, Families and Travellers warned they would not qualify for the scheme under its current provisions, as residents pay the site owner for energy.
There are also concerns that people living in roadside camps and houseboats who rely on gas cylinders and fuel-powered generators may miss out on payments as they have no direct contract with an energy supplier. They already pay high prices for energy use, with charities reporting that a gas cylinder costs between £70 and £85 and would last between five and seven days in winter for a family of four. Those relying on generators have been hit with dramatic petrol and diesel price rises in the past year.
Emma Wood, who manages and lives on a site in Devon, said she had written to its energy supplier, Scottish Power, to no avail. “They’re saying that it’s nothing to do with them … and only the main meter will receive the grant,” she said, explaining that this would mean 12 households sharing the £400 payment. “The payments are due to start in five weeks’ time and we don’t know whether we’re going to get anything.”
The site’s 18 residents, who are Roma and New Travellers, live in static caravans. “It’s a bit different
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