We have first-hand evidence that the UK Government is discriminating, prevaricating, and putting out untruthful disinformation.
With a huge fanfare back in May 2022 the then Chancellor, one Rishi Sunak you may remember, announced a non means tested, £400 discount for every household to help with energy bills. The EBSS – Energy Bills Support Scheme – allegedly began rolling out in October. Sunak declared to Parliament on 26 May last year: “…we have decided that the £200 of support for household energy bills will be doubled to £400 for everyone. We are on the side of hard-working families with £6billion of financial support.”
He continued: “…we are raising emergency funds to help millions of the most vulnerable families who are struggling right now, and all households will benefit from £400 of universal support for energy bills, with nor a penny to repay.”
Since then, I am sure some people have seen some of that money. It is utterly galling to hear second home owners have possibly all been seen payments for each of their addresses, while we know some of the poorest in society, who don’t have a fixed address have seen nothing. These are, in some cases, people who are borrowing from Peter to pay Paul, who are choosing warmth over food and are starving adults in their household to feed their children. Their homes are mobile but their only homes, and yet they cannot claim the payment because the government excludes any household without a permanent address.
These are people living an off-grid often itinerant lifestyle. Some are fortunate, as we are, to live this way by choice, but for others this is no choice. The government says they’re working on getting a solution to get money to those of us without a fixed address. The longer they say that they are trying, the longer they appear to feel it acceptable to delay. For some, that delay will mean the difference between health or illness, survival or bleak despair, and in extreme cases, life or death. Nearly half of itinerant boaters earn less than £20,000 a year, but they still face rocketing prices for the fuel they need.
While politicians continue telling the media and thus the public that every household has already received the £400 payment (which we know to be untrue), many of us have just experienced another 10 days of freezing conditions.
The need to stay warm is fundamental and our costs are rising. We buy coal which we burn 24/7 in our multi fuel stove at this tjme of year. That is our only heating. This year we were hugely fortunate to be able to buy in bulk at £12.10 for 20kgs. We juggled finances to afford the upfront cost, thanks to having family prepared to let us store a tonne of coal at their address. Last year, we were paying 21% less for coal, around £10 a bag.
We use gas for cooking although we use the multifuel stove as much as we can for cooking to maximise the use of fuel. The last gas we bought was £40 for 13kg bottle – up from £28 last year.
We use diesel to move and generate power which combines with our solar investment to keep us off-grid. Diesel used to be 80p a litre, but by 5 January 2023, it had almost doubled to £1.50 a litre.
We are lucky. We are working. We are surviving. Our fuel costs are escalating so we are cutting down on other things but we can do that for now.
There’s supposed to be a pilot scheme for those of us off-grid people who aren’t a drain on the national grid – the councils operating this don’t appear to know how it should run at all. It appears we need to be moored in their areas to apply but we couldn’t get there if they had a canal or river if we wanted – we are still frozen in, stuck in ice.
Groups like the National Bargee Travellers Association and Friends, Families and Travellers are working to get access and so are we as individuals. We didn’t ask for this payment but having been told we as a household should get it, we appreciate how useful it will be to us.
We are continuous cruisers. We are a household. We are also taxpayers. I fumed when submitting my recent tax return. The government expects me to pay out from a tight budget rapidly. They don’t reciprocate and pay up what they have promised. Not only are they not paying what they offered and thus owe – they’re bragging about how they actually are paying out, seeking political kudos for we know first-hand is a lie.
It really is simple. Check you can deliver before you promise. Do your homework. Plan properly.
At least all this fuming is warming me up! EBSS like so many other political schemes amounts to an ill-thought out and Extraordinarily Bloody Stupid System.
Pickingupducks 