The £150 disability cost of living payment, which is being paid out this week, is disproportionate to additional needs and will result in thousands of disabled people falling into poverty this winter according to the Spinal Injuries Association. The charity has been inundated with calls to its support line from spinal cord injured people who are worried about their additional costs this winter.

Nik Hartley OBE, CEO of Spinal Injuries Association, said:

“Many are struggling to cope with the hidden additional energy costs they face such as heating and charging equipment, as well as often having additional outgoings such as large care costs, house adaptations and increased transport costs.”

A spinal cord injury can mean that many are unable to regulate their body temperature so additional power is required to maintain warmth. In such cases, it can be a real danger to health to turn the heating down to save on bills. The recent announcement of an energy price cap freeze does little to help as the cap is now double what it was last winter. On top of that inflation is soaring.

When it comes to government help, those who are only in receipt of personal independence payments or disability living allowance are being offered a £150 payment, instead of the £650 Cost of Living Payment that is being offered to those who receive other forms of social security. This is despite their additional needs.

Additional help is therefore needed now more than ever.

Nik added:

“Without greater intervention many with spinal cord injuries will simply not be able to afford to pay their bills throughout this winter which could compromise their health leading to dangerous consequences. Until action is taken the limited support available is disproportionate to the majority of disabled people’s needs. We fully support the idea of discounted energy tariffs for disabled customers and call on the government to meet with the energy providers and implement this initiative as soon as possible.”