‘£900 on energy bill

‘Mr Hunt talked about compassion today and showed the government is committed to helping people’ (Image: Getty)By the end of October, we’d helped more people with a homelessness issue than we had by the same point in the previous three years. Today’s Autumn Statement was an opportunity for the Chancellor to provide support and stability for people struggling to just get by.First the good news. It’s welcome that further targeted support will come in from April. The additional cash will help people on benefits, who have been hit hardest by the rising cost of living, stay afloat.It’s a huge relief the government is increasing benefits in line with inflation too. Failing to do so would have been an unbearable blow for many – including carers, disabled people and the low-paid.But it’s not just people in receipt of benefits who are finding it tough. We’re worried about many who will slip through the cracks.Changes to the Energy Price Guarantee will mean an energy bill for a typical household will be £3,000 from April. For families not receiving benefits, this is a £900 increase on their annual bill, compared to what they’re paying this winter.Times are extremely hard right now – we see this every day across our services.At Citizens Advice, we’re continuing to help almost two people every minute with crisis support, like food bank vouchers and charitable grants. And sadly, the Autumn Statement offered no new support before April that could have helped reduce some of the pressures people are facing.This crisis is not going away overnight, but today could still be the start of something desperately needed.It was good to hear about energy efficiency. Investing in things like insulation in people’s homes will be absolutely key to bringing our energy bills down in the long run.Our research shows some families are seeing nearly a third of their energy bill go straight out of the window because their homes are poorly insulated.But too many can’t afford to do anything about it. And with extra funding only available from 2025, today’s announcement does little to support people struggling now.Improving people’s homes will take time, so the Chancellor needs to put his foot on the accelerator.With people already shivering in cold, draughty homes this winter, we need to see progress – and fast. In order to have real impact, the government must target home-improvement support at those who need it most.The Chancellor talked about compassion today and showed the government is committed to helping people weather this economic storm. But as the country continues to face enormous challenges, we can’t leave anyone behind.Morgan Wild is Head of Policy at Citizens Advice