Energy vouchers complexity 'adding to foodbank use', says Salisbury centre

The "complexity" of energy vouchers issued to people with prepayment meters is leading to an increase in foodbank users, a centre says.

St Pauls Foodbank Centre in Salisbury says 90% of users have given rising energy costs as their reason for using the foodbank.

Research shows nationally up to £50m of support may be going unclaimed .

Kate Ness, of Wiltshire Citizens Advice, said not everyone has got their vouchers or understood the process.

The Energy Support Scheme provides £400 to each household in Britain to help people through the cost-of-living crisis.

However, the system can be cumbersome for the two million households that have a traditional prepayment meter for their gas or electricity.

"It can be quite complex for some people," said Ms Ness.

"You've got to take them to a specific shop, you've got to bring ID with you, there's a few steps there that maybe haven't been explained quite as clearly as they could have been."

Food bank user Tom Caddy said being able to access support from the foodbank, amid rising energy costs, was a lifeline.

"For example, £2 to £3 of electricity a day, and say you've only got £10, that's not going to get you through the week," he said.

"I can't go about and do the things I want to do, because it's so cold. So I have to stay inside and keep myself warm."

St Pauls Foodbank Centre has teamed up with Wiltshire Citizens Advice to help people claim their unused vouchers.

The Citizens Advice team is helping people manage their situations and claim what they're entitled to. It said customers can contact their energy supplier to have a voucher reissued, even if it has expired.

Samantha Lush, coordinator at the foodbank centre, added she was concerned by the number of working people needing to use it.

"People that are coming here are working long hours, maybe working two or three jobs to get by and they're still not managing to pay all their bills," she said.

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