'Keeping energy price guarantee would avoid spike in bills'

When I asked what he would like for his birthday, he said – ‘some woolly socks that I can wear to keep me warm in bed’. On further inquiry, I discovered that he was so worried about his rising energy costs that he was not putting the heating on, even when there was snow on the ground outside.

My experience confirms a recent Mencap survey that found that more than a third of people with a learning disability don’t put the heating on despite being cold. The Mencap report states that "people with a learning disability are disproportionately impacted by the energy crisis as their needs go beyond those of the average household".

Mary Langan has been looking into how the energy crisis is impacting on people with learning disabilities (Image: Mary Langan)

Though spring may now have belatedly arrived, this comes at a time when the existing energy price guarantee changes and government subsidies of energy costs come to an end – and the weather is still cold and wet.

According to Maddy Rose, cost of living policy specialist at Mencap, "people with a learning disability were already being pushed to the brink by sky-high bills and now face a cost-of-living cliff edge in April".

Though my friend now has his warm birthday socks, he is still worried about his gas and electricity bills and his mental health has deteriorated over the winter. Maddy asks how these families are going to find an average of another £500 each month.

Mencap is calling on the Government not to allow bills to rise in April and to maintain the energy price guarantee at its current rate for a further three months. This would avoid a significant spike in energy bills which people with a learning disability just cannot afford. Maddy insists we also need to see further long-term targeted support, which is why Mencap is calling on the Government to introduce a discounted social energy tariff.

Mary Langan is chair of the Severe and Complex Needs Families Group.