Single mother ‘shocked’ by rising energy price caps as winter gets colder

Claire Pulfrey, 38, a single mother of three from Grimsby, has seen her prepaid electricity meter costs rise from £10 a week to nearly £25. She says the government must find a long-term solution

Welcome in the short term, but not enough to ease ordinary families’ worries about how they’ll get through the year.

This is the verdict from Mirror’s Cost of Living Crisis panel on Rishi Sunak’s package of measures to support families in need, announced today.

Our panel is made up of ordinary people across the country who are feeling the strain on their wallets as fuel and food costs soar.

Claire Pulfrey, 38, a single mother of three from Grimsby, has seen her prepaid electricity meter costs rise from £10 a week to nearly £25.

As well as the £400 subsidy towards energy bills, she receives an additional support of £650 for households on means-tested benefits.

She says: “It’s fantastic to be able to help with bills and everything, but it’s really just a band-aid. It won’t really help in the long run. If prices keep going up, we’ll soon be back at square one asking ourselves, “How do I pay for this?”

“We have to find a solution for a long-term solution. Why can’t they tell these energy companies, who are making enormous profits, to charge less? If we could bring energy back to where it used to be, many families will be in a much better position.

“Right now I’m very scared of what I’m going to do if the price cap goes up and it gets colder in the winter. I’m already putting 5 pounds on my gas meter to make sure we can turn on the heat.”

Disabled Cheshire mother Tracy Davies agrees. “It’s an improvement over what’s on offer, but it hasn’t stopped me from worrying about winter,” she says.

Tracy, 57, who suffers from fibromyalgia, is cared for by husband Paul and they have two adult children with severe autism who live with them.

She is one of 6 million disabled people who will also receive £150 in September.

The family’s electricity bill has risen by £117 to £450 a month since the start of the year.

Tracy says, “I spend all day looking at the smart meter and watching it go up. I can’t save anymore and have turned off the gas but I’m still using over £10 a day.

“That will help us now, but what about in six months? The government needs to come up with a better solution.”