'Postcode lottery' as households lose £2billion worth of help to pay bills

A "POSTCODE lottery" for help with bills is depriving people of almost £2billion worth of support to pay essential charges, a report says.

Citizens Advice says identical households are receiving "completely different" levels of support through lack of consistency and effort to promote cheaper packages for people on benefits among suppliers.

The service said a low-income household could be losing out on an average saving of at least £350 a year, with £1.9billion unclaimed for water and broadband schemes alone.

CA said ministers could take immediate action without spending a penny by ensuring suppliers were proactive in offering social tariffs to their lowincome customers.

It also wants water and broadband charges to be in line with other schemes such as energy.

TheYonder survey of 2,093 British adults from June 24-25 found half slashed spending on essentials such as water, broadband, car insurance and energy in the last year.

Some said they had switched off their home broadband or stopped their car insurance.

An estimated 1.4 million households are expected to spend a fifth or more of their disposable income on water, energy and broadband costs over the next 12 months - a 27% increase since 2021-22, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research.

Meanwhile, frontline CA staff say many in need of support have no idea that social tariff schemes exist - and those who did had difficulty accessing them.

An adviser from Kent's Dover and Deal district said: "You have to really jump through some high hoops for the social tariff.

"My clients have needed me to put in the application, to do the legwork... but they're the lucky ones that have that support."

CA chief executive, Dame Clare Moriarty, said: "For too long, people have been in the dark about extra financial support available, which could ultimately affect if someone keeps warm, or falls into debt on their water bill.

"Solutions to this are hiding in plain sight."