Energy price cap levels surging to nearly £2000 will be “horrific” for people, says a Nottingham food bank boss.
Regulator Ofgem announced today that the energy price cap will be rising by £693 for England, Wales and Scotland – an increase of 54 per cent.
Shoana Khan, 46, deputy director at Himmah Food Bank, one of the largest food banks in Nottingham has expressed her fears for families.
She said: “I was devastated [when I heard], when you listen to peoples pleas and then see this news – it’s crushing.
“It’s going to be crippling, and not just for lower income families but for middle working class families too, this could plummet them.”
A chaotic Christmas period as to which Ms Khan described as “utter mayhem” saw the food bank sort 2000 food parcels over a two-week period, with 600 going to children on free school meals and the rest to those in need.
However, the deputy director stressed the charity cannot always be stuck in “crisis management mode”.
“We’ve faced some tough challenges at Himmah, but this is going to be horrific for people.
“We can’t be in crisis management mode forever – we may get to a stage where we have to cap how many people we can provide for.”
Despite fears, Ms Khan maintains hopes Himmah foodbank will continue to try their best to serve as many of those in need in Nottingham as possible.
Jonathan Brearley, chief executive of Ofgem, said: “We know this rise will be extremely worrying for many people, especially those who are struggling to make ends meet, and Ofgem will ensure energy companies support their customers in any way they can.
“Ofgem is working to stabilise the market and over the longer term to diversify our sources of energy which will help protect customers from similar price shocks in the future.”
