Category: Cost of Living

Benefit Sanctions Cause Poverty And Destitution

I’ve been writing about benefit sanctions for years but I thought that I’d write a timely reminder of the harmful affects that imposed sanctions cause. Here’s a list including and not excluding others: Harm to mental health Harm to relationshipsIncreased debt and reliance on credit cards and loansFood poverty and fuel povertySurvival crimeIncreased risk of […]

Benefit Sanctions Cause Poverty And Destitution

DWP Work Coach Shortage

DWP Work Coach Shortage Unable To Cope With Increasing Unemployment. Safestyle Goes Into Administration.

A Theory on Why Car Insurance Premiums Are on The Rise

As many motorists will have noticed recently insurance premiums have risen astronomically and many are asking why.

I have a theory.

In 2010, while driving to the shop one wintery evening I came to a junction controlled by traffic lights, and my light was red so I obviously stopped. To my left a Morrisons truck also stopped. On getting a green light, I pulled forward a bit as I was turning right and traffic coming the other way had priority. The Morrisons truck to my left started turning left, and the trailer hit an icy patch and slid into the side of my car, destroying the nearside wing mirror and leaving scratches and scrapes on the front passenger door.

Next day I called the insurance company, gave them the details of what had happened, they advised that not only did they cover me but coincidentally they also covered the Morrisons fleet as well. That same day they had a replacement car out to me and collected my car to be repaired. The place that would be doing the repairs took it on a flatbed truck.

A couple of weeks later my car was returned to me with the repairs having been done. The replacement car was taken away and it was all done and dusted.

Cut to 13 years later and compare that experience with my latest one after a minor accident. Driving from my home in Scotland to my Mum and Stepdad’s in Wales, I stopped off at Todhills rest area on the M6 for a coffee. On leaving the area I began to accelerate down the slip road to rejoin the motorway when a truck driver in front decided to stop his truck, on the slip road, open his cab door in order to empty his coffee or tea mug outside. I’d moved over to pass him when the bottom corner of his door made contact with my car, hitting it just below roof level, denting the A pillar and the front passenger door, shattering the glass in that door, leaving paint on the B and C pillars and leaving gouges out of the rear quarter glass.

By this point I was almost back on the motorway so it wouldn’t have been safe to stop, I had to keep going. When I got to Wales I could get out and see the extent of the damage. Again I called the insurance company that same day and gave them the details. They had a hire car out to me the next day and said they’d arrange for a repairer to collect my car from my home and get it repaired.

So I waited. And then I waited some more. And more. After 4 weeks a company called Motor Repair Network, (MRN) contacted me to arrange to collect my car and said they had a repairer in Glasgow who would do the required work. This repairer was called Activate Accident Repair, (AAR) but my next call didn’t come from them. It came from yet another company called Glasgow Recovery who announced they’d actually been given the task of collecting the car and taking it to Glasgow, to the actual company who would be doing the repairs.

Once the car got to AAR they sent me a link to an online portal where they said I could keep updated on the progress of the repairs, so I watched as it went through assessment, estimated cost, approval from the insurance and then a status of repairs completed. I waited a few days after this status had appeared and then contacted what I thought was the repair company AAR, through their own portal, but it was MRN who responded stating that the repairs had been completed, but that the repairer was awaiting parts which were on back order. So, the repairs are complete, meaning finished, done, finito. But they’re waiting for parts. Parts needed to carry out the repairs. The repairs which are completed. Hmmm.

3 weeks after the status repairs completed had appeared on the portal I got a call from the actual repairers AAR asking if it would be OK to bring my car back that afternoon, which was fine by me as you can probably imagine.

From start to finish the repairs to what was really minor damage had taken almost exactly 3 monthsand involved input from the insurance, the broker or whatever they are, this Motor Repair Network, a recovery company and the actual repairers themselves Activate Accident Repair. 4 companies to do what 2 had been able to do some 13 years prior. And each one of those companies would have needed payment for their part of the job.

Coincidentally, both cars were Peugeot 3008s and both had been damaged by trucks.

How the cost of living crisis is hurting disabled people

The cost of living crisis is affecting everyone in the UK, but especially disabled people. Disabled people face extra costs of £975 a month on average to reach the same living standards as non-disabled people. These costs include things like specialised equipment, adaptations, transport, care and support.

But now, disabled people are also facing soaring energy bills, rising food prices and inflation. This is putting them under immense financial pressure and forcing them to make impossible choices between essentials.

The energy crisis and disabled people

One of the main challenges for disabled people is the energy crisis. Many disabled people need to use more energy because of their impairment or condition. For example, they may need to keep their home at a certain temperature, use electric appliances like wheelchairs or hoists, or charge medical devices like ventilators or nebulisers.

According to Scope, a disability charity, over a third of disabled adults feel that their impairment or condition has an impact on how much energy they use. And 91% of them are worried about energy bills this winter.

But the government’s support for disabled people to cope with the energy crisis is not enough. The Warm Home Discount, which gives eligible households a £150 rebate on their electricity bill, does not cover the extra costs that disabled people face. And the Disability Cost of Living Payment, which gave some disabled people a one-off payment of £150, comes nowhere near the costs. Just as an example, I’m currently paying over £200 per month for gas and electricity.

Scope’s research shows that 80% of disabled people receiving the £150 cost of living payment said it would not be enough to cover their increased costs for essentials. And 57% of disabled people eligible for the £650 cost of living payment said it would not be enough either.

As a result, many disabled people are falling into debt or cutting back on other essentials to pay their energy bills. Scope’s figures show that almost a third of disabled people have been pushed into debt in the last year, compared to 16% of non-disabled people. And last month, the average energy debt of disabled households supported by Scope increased to £1,794.

The impact on disabled people’s health and wellbeing

The cost of living crisis is not only affecting disabled people’s finances, but also their health and wellbeing. Many disabled people are having to sacrifice their basic needs and dignity to cope with the rising costs.

Scope’s survey reveals some of the shocking choices that disabled people are making because of the cost of living crisis:

  • 38% of disabled people said they were not using heating when cold because of the cost of living, compared to 26% of non-disabled adults
  • 34% of disabled people said they were buying lower quality food, skipping meals and/or eating less because of the cost of living, compared to 19% of non-disabled adults
  • 20% of disabled people said they were cutting back or stopping showering and bathing because of the cost of living, compared to 9% of non-disabled adults

These choices can have serious consequences for disabled people’s physical and mental health. For example, not heating their home can increase the risk of infections, respiratory problems or hypothermia. Not eating enough or well can affect their immune system, energy levels or medication effectiveness. And not showering or bathing can lead to skin infections, pressure sores or loss of self-esteem.

What needs to change?

The cost of living crisis is making disabled people’s lives harder and more miserable. They deserve better support from the government and the energy sector to meet their needs and live with dignity.

Scope is calling on the government to:

Scope is also urging the energy regulators and suppliers to:

  • Extend the Warm Home Discount to more disabled customers who are struggling with their energy bills. Scope says that the current eligibility criteria are too narrow and exclude many disabled people who need the support.
  • Provide clear and accessible information and advice to disabled customers on how to switch to cheaper tariffs, access grants or schemes, or improve their energy efficiency. Scope says that many disabled people are not aware of their options or find it difficult to access them due to communication barriers or digital exclusion.
  • Offer flexible and fair payment plans to disabled customers who are in debt or arrears. Scope says that many disabled people are facing aggressive debt collection practices or threats of disconnection from their energy suppliers. Scope says that energy suppliers should take into account disabled people’s circumstances and income when setting up repayment arrangements.

How you can help

If you are a disabled person or know someone who is, you can get help from Scope’s Disability Energy Support service. This is a free and confidential service that can help you with your energy bills, debt, switching, grants and more. You can contact them by phone, email or webchat.

You can also support Scope’s campaign for a fairer deal for disabled people by signing their petition, sharing your story, or donating to their work.

Together, we can make sure that disabled people are not left behind in the cost of living crisis. We deserve to live with dignity, equality and independence.