Sharon Hodgson MP: 100,000 families in the North East to receive Labour’s Warm Home Discount for the first time
When I was door knocking in my constituency in the lead up to the 2024 General election, other than the NHS, the key issue that came up repeatedly was the cost-of living crisis and people’s worries about affording the cost of their rising energy bills.
After a landslide victory, much of the public placed their trust in us and I am proud that Labour have absolutely listened to people’s worries and concerns.
We are determined to make energy more affordable for ordinary families and to ensure they can be more reassured and relaxed as winter approaches. Just a few weeks ago we announced that nearly six million families will begin receiving letters detailing their eligibility for the Warm Home Discount this winter.
This is a huge policy expansion and eradicates the bureaucratic barriers which prevented millions of people who were entitled to vital support but could not previously access it.
The last Conservative government left us with an energy market that was broken and put consumers last, while big energy companies were protected and handed huge bonuses. We have now ended that situation and stepped in to provide critical support to working people who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
In the North East specifically, this means that 100,000 families will receive Labour’s Warm Home discount for the first time.
Letters have begun to go out last week but every household entitled to the discount will receive a letter before January. If you believe that you are eligible (eligibility outlined here: One-off £150 energy bills discount – who is eligible and how does it work? | ITV News) and have not received a letter, you can contact the Warm Home Discount Scheme before February 28, 2026, to make this case.
This cash injection will directly help struggling families this winter, but this is just the start. Labour’s plan for clean energy will decrease energy bills for everyone in the long term because we believe it makes economic, environmental, and ethical sense to stand on our own two feet.
This policy will help many this winter, but our plan is to prevent people from having to worry about their bills for good. The way we achieve this is by investing in cleaner and cheaper energy, boosting the economy and creating jobs at the same time.
This not only reduces bills for ordinary people but will break our energy dependence on global fossil fuel markets. The creation of Great British Energy, a publicly-owned energy company based here in the United Kingdom, will give our country energy independence and end our reliance on volatile international markets controlled by dangerous dictators such as Putin.
In the meantime, until this transition completes in 2030, rest assured households will still be supported through this policy.
Whether it's through our long-term plan for clean energy or our warm homes discount to help people with their bills – low-income households will always be protected under this Labour Government.