CEREDIGION MP Ben Lake has today blasted the UK Government for failing to deliver fuel support to homes off the gas grid before Christmas.

Plaid Cymru’s Treasury spokesperson said that that 'continued delays' by Ministers means that ‘thousands of my constituents will be left without support this Christmas’.

The one-off £200 payment is for homes that use heating oil, have an LPG boiler, biomass boiler or use a similar alternative fuel to heat their home.

The payment was initially planned as £100, but it was announced in the Autumn Statement it would be increased to £200.

The UK Government has repeatedly refused to commit to a date for this payment when asked by Plaid Cymru.

In answers to Written Parliamentary Questions by Mr Lake, Graham Stuart, the Minister of State (Minister for Climate) in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, said that ‘the Government expects this payment will be made in the new year’.

UK Government analysis estimated that 74 per cent of properties in Ceredigion were not on the gas grid in 2020.

Mr Lake said that the £200 payment is ‘clearly not equivalent’ to the Energy Price Guarantee, which the UK Government projects will save the average household £900.

Plaid Cymru have proposed a scheme for households to purchase 1,000 litres of heating oil or equivalent volume of LPG which would reflect an ‘equivalent level of support’ to that provided for households connected to the mains gas grid.

At current prices, a voucher worth 1,000 litres of heating oil would cost £969.82.

“Continued delays by Ministers in Westminster mean that thousands of my constituents will be left without support this Christmas,” said Mr Lake.

“To add insult to injury, the UK Government won’t even give us a date when payments will be made. Vague statements about ‘the new year’ are simply not good enough.

“In setting the rate for the Alternative Fuel Payments the Treasury do not appear to have factored in the unique issue faced by off-grid households.

“Many have to bulk buy months’ worth of fuel in one go, which places them under additional financial pressure.

“The stress of not knowing when the AFP will be delivered has exacerbated this issue over the past few months, with households unsure about whether to wait for support before buying their fuel.”