A SENIOR councillor is calling for more to be done to help residents deal with soaring energy prices after Ofgem announced a 54 per cent increase.

Millions of households will typically have to pay an extra £693 a year on their energy bills from April, but chancellor Rishi Sunak said his support plan would take the "sting" out of the rise.

Mr Sunak said the majority of families would receive a total of £350 to help them adjust to higher prices. Despite this, only £150 will arrive by the time energy bills rise in April.

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Cllr Paul Harvey leader of the Independent group has expressed his concerns about the help provided to residents in Basingstoke.

He said: “I am really concerned and I have asked the council to look very closely at what it can do to support people locally who are facing fuel poverty because the government announcements don’t go even close to supporting the most vulnerable in our community.

“What we understand that everybody this year will get a council tax bill and you will be expected to pay that council tax bill in full but at some time during the year you are going to get £150 back through your bank account. Now that assumes you have a bank account and that you don’t pay for it in a different way so that’s an important issue that not everybody pays by direct debut for their council tax.

“Of course, not everybody pays council tax because a lot of people get support through council tax benefit, so they won’t qualify for the £150 in the same way. The most vulnerable people in our community who are probably those facing fuel poverty the most will only get access to a discretionary fund of £144m being spent across the whole country so that fund is going to be very limited locally.”

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Cllr Harvey said the council needs to take action now.

He added: “We have to do something to step up to help. We need to tell the government that their scheme is an absolute joke. We have to look at who is the most vulnerable in our communities, those who are having to choose between heating and eating and do something about it now.

“This is absolutely a real problem for so many people, it cannot be left.”

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