Fair By Design has written to the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, urging him to introduce a ‘Help to Repay’ scheme to provide repayment matching and debt relief for people with unaffordable energy arrears.
The letter features new research from National Debtline showing one in four people in energy debt (24%) are unable to repay. A fifth (21%) of people in energy arrears have also been threatened with enforcement action by their supplier.
The ‘Help to Repay’ campaign calls for targeted support for people who have faced difficulty paying energy bills and have fallen into payment arrears during the energy crisis. The letter to the Chancellor comes as energy debt hit its highest-ever level of £2.6 billion, according to the energy regulator Ofgem.
Martin Coppack, Director, Fair By Design, said:
“It is very saddening to see that one in four people in energy debt are unable to repay it. It is clear we need to introduce a ‘Help to Repay’ scheme to support people, so they don’t fall into further problem debt or get disconnected altogether leaving them with no heating this winter.
“The Government must help people with their energy bills today and in the future. It must introduce a Help to Repay scheme to support people today, and also progress longer-term support in the form of a social tariff.”
Fair by Design is looking for a talented individual with an outstanding track record of successfully delivering influential policy initiatives to join the team as Head of Policy. Using your skills and experience you will help FBD to achieve its mission of eliminating the poverty premium by ensuring its policy work is thorough, relevant and timely and that FBD’s messages are heard by policymakers and those in power.
- This is a full-time fixed term contract of 3 years (with the possibility of renewal).
- Salary: £47,013 – £56,415 p.a.
- Generous contributory pension scheme of up to 10%.
- The team has been working at home and is transitioning to a hybrid model of working. This is under review but there will be an expectation of 2-3 days a week office/field-based in a typical week.
People in poverty pay more for essentials such as energy, insurance and credit. This is known as the poverty premium. Fair By Design (FBD) is dedicated to ending the poverty premium. It is run by Barrow Cadbury Trust. Please note FBD is an advocacy programme and not a grants programme.
About Barrow Cadbury Trust
Barrow Cadbury Trust is seeking a just and peaceful society which recognises the equal value of all people. Largely working in partnerships with others, BCT uses all its resources – its money, its people and its name – to bring about structural change to increase social justice and equality.
BCT has a strong commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and it encourages applications from people with personal experience of the social justice and human rights issues we seek to address.
Before you apply have a look at our short animation about our values and the way we work.
Any offer of employment will be made subject to references, and confirmation of the right to work in the UK where we will need to see original documents.
How to apply and interview date
Please email Emily Wojcik ([email protected]) with your CV and a covering letter setting out how your skills and experience meet the person specification (no more than two sides of A4) by Midnight on Tuesday 22 November. Please also complete and return the Equal Opportunities form below and note our Privacy statement.
Interviews for short listed candidates will be held on Thursday 1 December at our office at The Foundry, 17 Oval Way, London SE11 5RR.
- One in eight households in Britain experience at least one type of poverty premium.
- On average the poverty premium costs £430 per year for a low-income household.
- Each British constituency loses £4.5 million a year to the poverty premium.
- The North East of England has the highest proportion (14.7%) of households incurring the poverty premium.
- An interactive map of the findings across British constituencies gives information on every constituency
- Read the full report ‘The Cost of Living and Levelling Up: Why the poverty premium matters for local economies
The research shows that one in eight households experience at least one type of poverty premium. This costs each parliamentary constituency £4.5 million per year, equating to a total loss of £2.8 billion from the national economy.
The North East of England has the highest proportion of households incurring the poverty premium (14.7%), followed by the North West (13.4%), Yorkshire and the Humber (13.4%), London (13.1%) and Wales (13.1%). The South East of England has the lowest proportion of households experiencing the poverty premium (11%).
“As families across Britain struggle with the sharp rise in the cost of living, taking action to end the poverty premium has never been more important.”
“Tackling the poverty premium is an easy way for the government to put money back into people’s pockets and it wouldn’t require any additional money from the Treasury.”
“People shouldn’t have to pay more for life’s essentials because they are on a low income. Industry, government and regulators need to come together to make sure everyone can access the products and services they need at a price that is fair.”
“As families across Britain struggle with the cost of living crisis, taking action to end the poverty premium has never been more urgent. Government intervention to eliminate the poverty premium would put on average £430 back into the pockets of over 3.5 million low-income households without requiring any additional funding from the Treasury.”
Sara Davies, Senior Research Fellow, The University of Bristol Personal Finance Research Centre, said:
“This research makes it easy to identify where the local focus of poverty premium elimination should be. By addressing these issues, millions of pounds could remain within local economies. This money could be spent locally, creating extra jobs and growing local businesses. Or it would ease financial difficulties for low-income households in the area and reduce the burden on local services.”
