The primary goal of this administration is to address the affordability crisis that is affecting our nation. We are committed to assisting families who are struggling to pay their bills. To this end, we extended the Warm Home Discount program last year to include all individuals receiving means-tested benefits, offering a £150 rebate on energy bills to approximately 6 million households, representing one-fifth of the population.
Today, we are announcing that eligible families will receive this discount every winter throughout the remainder of the decade. Additionally, we are streamlining the process for thousands of families in Scotland to automatically receive this support for the first time next winter.
In addition to these measures, we recently implemented a decision to reduce household expenses by an average of £150 starting in April. Furthermore, we introduced the Warm Homes Plan last week, which marks the largest public investment in home upgrades in British history. This initiative will help reduce bills for millions of households through the adoption of technologies like solar panels and aims to lift up to a million families out of fuel poverty.
As we provide assistance to those currently facing financial difficulties, we recognize the impact of Britain’s loss of control over its energy supply to fossil fuel markets dominated by petrostates and dictators. To counter this, we are making substantial investments in domestic clean energy sources from renewables and nuclear power.
Every decision we make is geared towards combating the affordability crisis, with a dual focus on immediate bill reductions and sustainable long-term solutions.