The Welsh Government announced an additional £700,000 for the Fuel Bank Foundation's fuel voucher and Heat Fund scheme on 15 November 2024, at a Wrexham Foodbank, according to the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt1. The funding brings the Welsh Government's support for the Fuel Bank Foundation this year to £1.2m1.
The £1.2m is expected to support an estimated 8,400 households, or approximately 29,000 individuals, with crisis fuel vouchers delivering up to 10 days of essential energy assistance1. Around 200 off-gas-grid households will receive help with bulk fuel purchase through the Heat Fund, and the funding will allow a further 700 people living in poverty to receive an electric throw1. Of the additional £700,000, £200,000 has been allocated specifically to support Gypsy Roma Travellers communities2.
The scheme provides support to eligible households that pre-pay for their fuel and are at risk of disconnection, including fuel vouchers for homes with prepayment meters and deliveries of oil or gas for those not connected to the mains gas network2. The Welsh Government said the funding builds on £5.1m previously allocated to the Fuel Bank Foundation since 2022, which has distributed over 62,000 fuel vouchers and made over 360 bulk fuel deliveries to off-grid households1. A written statement in January 2025 put the total allocated since June 2022 at more than £6.3m3.
The two November statements differ on the size of the referral network. The press release says funding has enabled the Foundation to expand its referral partners from 6 to over 142 organisations across Wales1. The written statement says the network now numbers more than 126 referral partners based in Wales, plus another 13 UK partners who also support Welsh households2.
"Everyone deserves a warm home, and I'm proud to expand this vital support to help those who have to pre-pay for their energy and are facing disconnection."
The Foundation's own figures, cited by the Welsh Government, record that of the households last surveyed, 91% noted a substantial impact on their financial stability, and 60% of families supported reported a significant improvement in physical health and mental wellbeing1. The written statement records over 2,500 heated throws provided to date2.
Why it matters for households
The support is aimed at a specific group: homes that pay for energy in advance, whether through a prepayment meter or by buying oil or gas in bulk off the mains network2. For these households, running out of credit means disconnection rather than a growing arrears balance, so a voucher covering up to 10 days of energy is a short-term interruption to that risk rather than a change to the underlying cost of heating a home1.
The Heat Fund addresses a different problem. Off-gas-grid homes cannot switch supplier or move to a cheaper tariff in the way a mains gas household can, and bulk fuel must be bought in a lump sum before it is used2. Help with that purchase is a one-off payment against a cost that recurs.
The figures also indicate scale. An estimated 8,400 households supported this year sits alongside more than 62,000 vouchers issued since 2022, which suggests repeat demand rather than a single winter's need1. The Welsh Government's wider statements on fuel poverty in Wales place the Fuel Voucher Scheme within a package that also includes the Discretionary Assistance Fund, Warm Hubs and the Warm Homes Nest scheme3.
What happens next
The Welsh Government has not reported an end date for the additional £700,000, beyond describing it as funding for this winter1. Its Claim What's Yours benefits take-up campaign media burst began in January 2025 and runs to 31 March 20253. The Welsh Government has said it called on Ofgem to introduce a social tariff and to reform standing charges, and that it raised the level of standing charges in South Wales and North Wales with the Minister for Energy and Consumers3. No outcome from those discussions has been reported.
Sources3 cited
- Extra support for disadvantaged households this winter | GOV.WALES, gov.wales
- Written Statement: Funding to the Fuel Bank Foundation to continue to provide the Fuel Voucher and heat fund schemes (15 November 2024) | GOV.WALES, gov.wales
- Written Statement: Tackling Fuel Poverty (27 January 2025) | GOV.WALES, gov.wales