Citizens Advice announced on 20 June 2022 that it will launch a review into the best way of providing long-term support to consumers who are struggling the most with energy bills1. The charity, which describes itself as the statutory consumer advocate for energy and post, will partner with thinktank the Social Market Foundation and consultants Public First1.
The Energy Price Support Review is intended to build a shared consensus among civil society, industry and political parties on the future of support measures for energy customers1. Its stated work covers two areas: identifying which people will struggle the most with energy prices and will need longer-term support, and developing recommendations on how to best support those consumers1. Citizens Advice said the review will deliver comprehensive findings in Spring 2023, with regular updates on its progress before then1.
Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, said:
"Energy affordability is a long-term problem and there needs to be a long-term solution."
She added that the review "will deliver concrete, workable proposals to ensure that everyone can afford to pay their gas and electricity bills"1.
The announcement set out figures on the scale of the pressure at the time. Since January 2022 Citizens Advice had supported more than 36,000 people struggling with energy debts, a 24% increase on the same period the previous year1. Around 22 million bill payers were on a standard variable tariff and subject to the energy price cap, which was then set to end in 2023, although the charity noted there were plans to extend it1. The review's partners are described as a cross-party charity whose trustees include parliamentarians from the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties, and a specialist consultancy working on public policy1. Citizens Advice said its staff are supported by over 23,000 trained volunteers at more than 2,500 locations in England and Wales1.
Why it matters for households
The review concerns the design of help with energy bills, not the level of any payment or discount available now. No new support, eligibility rule or rate was announced on 20 June 2022, and the review itself produces recommendations rather than entitlements1. For a household, the practical relevance is that the energy price cap and the support measures built around it were, at that point, described as ending in 2023, with plans to extend the cap noted but not settled1. The review's first task is to identify which households will need longer-term support, which bears on how any future scheme would be targeted and how a home's energy bills and energy independence might be affected by changes to standing charges, levies or targeted discounts. The sources do not report which measures the review will consider, what they might cost, or how they would be delivered.
What happens next
Citizens Advice said the review will share updates on its progress regularly and deliver comprehensive findings in Spring 20231. No further dates were given. The charity's consumer service can be reached on 0808 223 1133, or 0808 223 1144 to talk in Welsh1.