Energy companies accused of 'failing' people in Renfrewshire

Councillor Andy Doig hit out over a response to calls for suppliers to re-establish a network of shopfront hubs to better support customers

The veteran politician previously received cross-party backing for a motion to this effect, with fellow councillors also demanding a return of shops so those experiencing problems can access face-to-face advice.

Now the independent representative for Johnstone North and the surrounding villages has been left outraged after Energy UK told Renfrewshire Council “commercial decisions” were a matter for individual companies to consider.

In her letter, Dhara Vyas, deputy CEO of the trade association, said suppliers must maintain a priority services register – a free support service that makes sure extra help is available to people in vulnerable situations.

She also claimed members have “gone further” through a vulnerability commitment which includes pledging to “drive continuous improvement” and provide additional support to households who need it.

Ms Vyas added: “While we recognise and agree the importance of accessibility for vulnerable consumers, commercial decisions such as those suggested in your letter are a matter for individual energy suppliers to consider.

“It is worth noting that domestic energy suppliers are responding to unprecedented volumes of calls because of high energy prices and have been operating at a loss per customer since the start of the energy crisis.

“We are aware and share your concerns that this winter will be difficult for many people and we will continue to work with government, Ofgem and our members to address these challenges.”

That prompted Councillor Doig to accuse Energy UK of “defending bloated national utilities which are hiding from the public and failing Renfrewshire consumers.”

He added: “Energy UK also talk about their vulnerability commitment but this is a voluntary commitment and is not mandatory, so they are a toothless tiger producing propaganda not worth the paper it is written on.

“For example, the vulnerability commitment offers only a customer service phoneline, which is exactly the problem because no-one answers when constituents call.

“Energy UK ends their apology for a letter by passing the buck to individual affiliates by saying that the decision to reopen consumer energy hubs is up to them alone.

“What point is there in Energy UK if it is only a talking shop?

“They do at least recognise that domestic energy suppliers are trying to recruit more staff to deal with the level of calls.

“Overall, this is simply not good enough.”

A spokesperson for Energy UK said: “As we explained in the letter, suppliers are facing unprecedented call volumes right now, with understandably more people than ever contacting them for support and advice on their energy bills.

“Call centres are reporting that call volumes have quadrupled, often including more complex calls which can take longer to resolve.

“Energy companies have both hired and retrained hundreds of staff to be able to cope with the significant increases in enquiries, set up dedicated affordability and vulnerability teams to provide specialist advice and implemented extra training, new technologies and processes to identify, communicate with and assist customers who need additional help.

“The retail sector has been operating at loss since before the current crisis began, so while suppliers continue to provide support to millions of households, there are limits to what they can do and, most significantly, they can’t solve the wider affordability problem alone, which is why we are urging government to not let prices rise further in April.”