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Chesham and Amersham MP calls on Government to speed up fuel payment for off-grid homes

Chesham and Amersham MP, Sarah Green, has signed a letter to the Prime Minister calling for the Government to "provide off-grid households with energy support, via winter fuel payments, as a matter of urgency". 

The letter was sent to Rishi Sunak by a group of Liberal Democrat MPs, led by Jamie Stone.

The Government previously announced that support for off-grid homes would be available by the end of January. However, they have now confirmed that the application date will be further delayed until the end of February, with no support reaching eligible households until the end of March. 

The delay applies to both the £400 support that other houses have already been receiving via £66 instalments on their energy bills (Energy Bills Support Scheme) and the overdue £200 payment for households off the gas grid (Alternative Fuel Payment). 

It means around 400,000 people without a domestic electricity supply contract, which includes families living in park homes, will not receive any help with their winter fuel bills until the spring. 

Reacting to the delay, Green commented:  "The Government have abandoned off-grid households, leaving them to battle rising costs without any support during the coldest months of the year. 

"It took them months to decide how to get money to the people who need it, only to announce a further delay.

"Meanwhile, local people using alternative fuels and living in park homes have been desperate to find out when they will receive the much-needed energy support they are entitled to. 

"I pressed the Energy Minister to resolve this matter back in November. For the payments to continue to be delayed, leaving off-grid households without help until the Spring is nothing short of a failure. 

"The timeline for this payment must be sped up - people needed support months ago, they simply cannot wait until March." 

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