Sefton households who have prepayment meters are once again being reminded to ensure they use vouchers

Sefton households who have prepayment meters are once again being reminded to ensure they use vouchers they should have been sent through the Government’s Energy Bill Support Scheme. 

It has been reported that data from the top-up company PayPoint and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy shows that across the UK, 1.3 million vouchers have not yet been redeemed. This means that many of the UK’s most vulnerable families could be missing out on an estimated £80 million of Government support. 

Under the Government’s energy support scheme, all households in the UK should receive £400 this winter.  

Households’ direct debit accounts are being credited automatically each month from October to March. Homes with a prepayment meter should receive a £66 voucher posted from their supplier in the post, to us when topping up. 

But according to PayPoint, as many as a quarter of the expected vouchers for the first months of the scheme have not been claimed. It reported that 75% of October’s vouchers had been used so far and the figure for November was 63%. 

Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing, urged Sefton households with prepayment meters to check whether they have received their vouchers and if not to follow up with their supplier. 

She said:  
“With domestic energy bills now almost double what they were last winter, alongside rising prices in the shops, inflation at a 40-year high and interest rates rising, people need all the help they can get.  

“I know the vouchers are each valid for three months so it may be that people have been saving them for the kind of really cold weather we are having now. 

“However, I want to make sure that those households with prepayment meters, who are already forced to pay more for their energy than other customers, are not missing out on this support.” 

Most suppliers are sending out the vouchers, valid for 90 days, to arrive in the post by the 17th of each month. The vouchers can be cashed at Post Offices or other locations such as PayPoint shops. 

People struggling with the Cost of Living crisis can find advice and support at: 

www.sefton.gov.uk/cost-of-living; 

www.sefton.gov.uk/seftonsupporthub; 

https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk