North East Lincolnshire Citizens Advice warns people will struggle with money

North East Lincolnshire Citizens Advice warns people will struggle with money

North East Lincolnshire’s Citizens Advice has warned that the cost of living crisis will continue for many families, despite help from the Government announced yesterday.

Although they welcomed measures such as increasing the national insurance threshold and the fuel duty cut they argued that benefits needed to be increased.

Speaking to Planet Radio, Tony Gaskins Chief Executive of Citizens Advice in North East Lincolnshire said: “One in seven can’t pay their energy bills without cutting back on essential expenditure.

“That’s 8 per cent of the population we’re talking about and that’s going up by 90 cent in April.

“We’re seeing people’s energy prices rising by around 140 pounds a month to 350 pounds a month (on average).

“Some of the tools available to us to help clients in difficulty are being eroded because people are unable to meet their essential bills and cost of living. It’s very difficult to find some solutions for that.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has defended his spring statement which was published yesterday afternoon following widespread criticism.

A number of MPs have accused Sunak of failing to help the poorest people, including those who are out of work or on low income.

He added: “We would have like to have seen an up-rate in benefits to better reflect the cost of living.

“We would have liked to have seen more support for households in October through more generous energy rebates – although we recognise the Chancellor may do that in October.”