Energy · Bills & suppliers · 1 November 2026
National Energy Action criticises Budget 2026 energy support
National Energy Action has criticised the UK government's Budget 2026 for offering insufficient support to households facing energy affordability issues. The organisation says the measures fail to help those in greatest need.
National Energy Action has criticised the UK government's Budget 2026, describing it as a series of wrong choices that fail to help those in greatest need. The organisation states that the government provided insufficient support to households facing energy affordability issues. Matt Copeland, Director of Policy at National Energy Action, says the Budget, on 28 October hasn't helped those in greatest need…
The government announced a £100 cost-of-living payment for approximately 20 million households, delivered via council tax. Energy bills are expected to rise by around 70% in January 2027 compared to pre-crisis levels. The energy crisis began in 2021, and bills are currently £1000 higher than pre-crisis levels.
The government had £2.6 billion available to spend but chose to spread support broadly rather than providing deeper support to those in greatest hardship. Gas standing charges will be shifted to the unit rate, helping low-use households save an average of £45 a year. For prepayment meter users, the change addresses the issue of standing charges accumulating as debt when credit runs out.
Higher-use households are expected to pay an average of £65 more per year due to higher unit rates. The electricity VAT cut has been extended for a further three months. National Energy Action describes the Budget as a series of wrong choices that fail to help those in greatest need.
Written by StreetOwl from National Energy Action, a charity’s own announcement. It was drafted by StreetOwl’s own model, every figure and quotation was checked by code against the announcement, and it was read and approved by Michael Rossi before it went up. It says what was announced, not what anyone should do about it.
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