Purpose

Marches Energy Agency would receive CRF funding to provide energy relief crisis payments to enable residents to clear energy arrears, where the arrears are causing financial issues for residents and at risk of detrimentally affecting their wellbeing.

Decision

The Cabinet Member for Communities and Safety approved the award of grant funding of up to £0.346m (from award to 31 March 2029), from the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF), to Marches Energy Advice (MEA) to administrate energy relief crisis payments and pre-payment vouchers to support vulnerable Derbyshire residents experiencing fuel poverty and energy-related financial hardship. 

Reasons for the decision

Fuel poverty continued to affect many Derbyshire households, with rising energy costs placing particular pressure on vulnerable residents and those on low incomes.

Marches Energy Advice was already funded to deliver the Fuel Poverty Crisis and Resilience Programme and was therefore well placed to administer energy relief crisis payments alongside wider energy advice, casework and support. This approach would provide a more efficient delivery model and a more coordinated support offer for residents experiencing fuel poverty. 

Alternative options considered

Option 1: Do Nothing - The option of taking no action was considered. However, this would leave funding already identified within the CRF delivery plan undistributed and reduce support available to households experiencing fuel poverty and energy-related financial hardship. It would also miss an opportunity to provide timely assistance to vulnerable residents, potentially leading to increased energy debt, worsening health and wellbeing, and greater demand on statutory and voluntary sector services. For these reasons, this option was not recommended.

Option 2: Administering energy relief crisis payments directly through Derbyshire County Council’s CRF Team was considered. However, this would create additional administrative processes, potentially delaying support reaching residents, and require households to engage with separate systems for crisis payments and fuel poverty support. Delivering the funding through MEA enabled crisis payments to be integrated with existing energy assessment, advice and casework arrangements, providing a more efficient delivery model and a simpler, more coordinated experience for residents. For these reasons, this option was not recommended.