New analysis from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation finds households on low incomes will be spending on average 18 per cent of their income after housing costs on energy bills after April.

For single adult households on low incomes this rises to a shocking 54 per cent, an increase of 21 percentage points since 2019/20.

Lone parents and couples without children will spend around a quarter of their incomes on energy bills, an increase of almost 10 percentage points in the same period.

The analysis compares the household spend on gas and electricity bills of several different family types on low and middle incomes between 2019-20 and after the increase in April this year.

While there is little difference in the overall increase in bills from April, with all households facing an immediate increase of between around 40 per cent and 47 per cent, the difference in the proportion of household incomes these increases will represent is stark. Middle-income households will be spending on average 6 per cent of their incomes on energy bills, and no more than 8 per cent for any family type considered.

The figures are released alongside JRF’s flagship state-of-the-nation report which reveals a worrying increase in the number of children growing up in very deep poverty. Around 1.8 million children are growing up in very deep poverty, meaning the household’s income is so low that it is completely inadequate to cover the basics. This represents an increase of half a million children between 2011-12 and 2019-20.

Powys to be hit hard

Powys is set to be hit hard by the expected rise in energy bills in April, new compliled by the Lib Dems figures have revealed.

An analysis by the Welsh Liberal Democrats shows that the average yearly bill for homeowners in Powys is set to skyrocket by £753 - the equivalent of £62 a month - once the new energy price cap comes into effect. This means Powys will see the 4th highest rises in Wales and 6th highest in the UK.

This is significantly above the forecasted national average uplift in bills for each household of £598 per year, meaning people in Powys are set to be hit harder than most across the country.

Last year the average homeowner in Powys paid out £953 for their annual energy bill. Under the new price cap coming into force in April, that figure is set to rise £1,706. It could further rise again in the coming autumn when it is scheduled for another review.

The rising cost of living is hitting many of her constituents hard, says Fay Jones.

The Brecon and Radnorshire MP said in the Commons that many MPs and others often mistake rural areas such as hers for extremely wealthy areas, but this is simply not the case.

Ms Jones said: “We have next to no public transport so we are forced to drive everywhere in cars powered by ever more expensive fuel.

“Our broadband is slow on a good day, because funding is targeted at densely populated and, curiously, Labour-voting areas.

“Our schools have to close and our council tax is higher because our local authority has been given one of the lowest budget allocations in Wales for the last 10 years.

“If only we could have the level of investment and support that has been directed at the cities and the South Wales valleys, household bills in rural areas such as Brecon and Radnorshire would be lower.”

Ms Jones said she wanted a meaningful debate on household costs that puts the rural poor at its centre.

Help with winter fuel available

Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for Mid ad West Wales has urged eligible locals to claim a one-off payment made available to address pressures on living costs.

The Welsh Government’s Winter Fuel Support Scheme is part of a wider support package of over £50m issued by the Welsh Government to address “immediate pressures on living costs.”

A total of £38 million has been earmarked through a Winter Fuel Support Scheme, and those eligible have until February 18 to claim a one-off £100 payment from their local council to provide support to pay their winter.

The payment will be available to all eligible households regardless of how they pay for their winter fuel, and the scheme is open to households where the resident or their partner are in receipt of any of the following welfare benefits: Income Support, Income-Based Job Seekers Allowance, Income-Related Employment & Support Allowance, Universal Credit, Working Tax Credits

Cefin Campbell MS, who has previously highlighted the cost-of-living crisis facing communities across Mid & West Wales in the Senedd, has urged eligible constituents to apply for the payment, saying:

“One in three children in Wales lives in poverty, and rural poverty is particularly pertinent in communities across Powys and too often goes under the radar.

Anyone who believes they are eligible for the payment have been able to submit a claim on their local council’s website since late last year, and all applications must be received before the closing date on 18 February 2022.

The Department for Work and Pensions and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs have confirmed that this payment will not affect an individual’s current benefits or be subject to tax.