LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - 2022/06/18: A protester holds a placard calling the cost of living crisis ... [+]
As the evenings slowly draw in and an autumnal chill begins to make its presence felt, the U.K. is bracing itself for the harsh reality of what felt like more of a whispered threat over the warmer summer months – soaring energy prices.
The steep rise in global gas and oil prices brought about by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine earlier this year was always going to be felt more sharply over the winter and have a disproportionate impact on those on low incomes or households where there are individuals with long-term disabilities.
Unfortunately, in the case of the latter, they often belong to the former category as well and face the double whammy of reduced employment prospects alongside increased living costs.
Falling short
By means of a response, the U.K. Government has announced that it will start rolling out a payment of £150 to some six million households in receipt of a qualifying disability benefit – with the money expected to reach bank accounts between September 20 and the start of October.
However, leading disability charities have described the subsidy as “paltry,” given the extent to which energy bills will inevitably soar.
Earlier this week, James Taylor Director of Strategy at disability charity Scope told Sky News: "Life already costs more when you're disabled - even before this cost-of-living crisis, disabled people were facing extra costs of around £580 per month.”
He further added, "So the £150 put forward by Government won't touch the sides.”
It is a view strongly echoed by Disabled People Against Cuts co-founder Linda Burnip who reiterated to the Morning Star why the balance sheet simply won’t tot up: “When rises in fuel prices are likely to be at least £2,500, a paltry £150 is of little use in supporting disabled people, many of whom have higher than average costs anyhow due to their additional needs,” Burnip explained.
Leaving aside the country’s stubbornly persistent disability employment gap of around 28%, the extra energy costs that accompany living with a disability aren’t just about charging vital mobility equipment or keeping the heating on for longer to prevent chest infections.
Important as these provisions are, spiraling energy costs also become a life and death issue, or at the very least, the difference between somebody being able to be cared for at home or going into formal residential care, when one considers the powering of equipment such as nebulizers, oxygen machines and electric beds.
One individual reliant on such equipment to keep him living at home is 37-year-old Lee Wheeler from County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland.
Lee lives with multiple disabilities and his mother Caroline told UTV that due to the ongoing energy crisis – her son’s life is seriously at risk.
“This is life and death,” she said. “We are sitting here with two scales. Lee's life is hanging in the balance if he doesn’t get the power to his home in the winter."
According to a poll undertaken by the charity Sense last year, 62% of respondents reported having to choose between whether to spend money on food or heating over the past 12 months due to being unable to afford both.
Unfortunately, it won’t just be insufficient government assistance or unsympathetic energy suppliers, disabled households may have to contend with this winter.
As the energy subsidy has been widely publicized, disability charities fear that fraudsters and scam artists will target vulnerable people via phone messages and email, requesting they divulge their bank details to receive payments.
The government has warned the public to be wary of such activity and has assured them that the subsidy will be paid directly into their bank accounts without pre-screening calls.
Thinking Ahead
In terms of what can be done to alleviate the situation, disability charities and representative organizations are looking towards both the short and medium term.
Putting it bluntly, James Taylor from Scope said: “At the very least, we believe the one-off disability cost of living payment of £150 needs to be doubled.”
Linda Burnip went a step further and stated: “There needs to be a social tariff for those on low incomes plus an additional low-price tariff for disabled people, otherwise there will be many more additional deaths caused by fuel poverty.”
Thinking even longer term, the government would do well to reflect on whether, if it cannot bring itself to create a disability benefits system that enables disabled citizens to thrive, whether it might at least consider one that would allow them to live, rather than barely survive.
Sadly, the disability community’s lack of confidence in the incumbent Conservative government, now under the leadership of Liz Truss, means that more hope is being pinned on the weather gods than the politicians when it comes to getting through the rather bleak winter ahead.
