Talking to MPs about Help to Repay campaign. Copyright: Money Advice Trust.
A coalition of charities, led by the Money Advice Trust, pushing for dedicated help for people trapped in unmanageable energy debt.
The Campaign
The Help to Repay campaign aimed to secure help for people struggling with energy debt as a result of very high prices. People were struggling to pay their ongoing bills, let alone repay their energy debt, leaving them trapped in a vicious cycle. And the costs of this debt in the market were driving up bills for every customer, adding around £70 to each annual bill. Â
Money Advice Trust developed a proposal for a Help to Repay scheme, offering debt write-off and repayment matching for people struggling with energy debt. Backed by a coalition of 13 other organisations, we pushed the government and Ofgem to act, utilising a range of Parliamentary and media tactics and developing detailed modelling of the costs and benefits of the scheme.Â
Ofgem CEO speaks to debt adviser – Ofgem Chief Executive, Jonathan Brearley, speaks to Money Advice Trust debt adviser Jakob, on the challenges facing people in energy debt and the need for a Help to Repay scheme – Copyright: Money Advice Trust.Â
We’re delighted that the Help to Repay campaign has been shortlisted for Best Consumer Rights Campaign. High energy prices have affected millions of households and no one should be left trapped in debt they can’t afford to repay, through no fault of their own. This nomination recognises the collective strength and energy of all the incredible organisations who joined with us on the campaign to help make change happen.”
Grace Brownfield
Head of Influencing and Communications, Money Advice Trust
The Change
The Help to Repay campaign led directly to Ofgem announcing plans for a ‘Debt Relief Scheme’, as the campaign had been calling for. Due to be introduced in 2026, the scheme will write-off energy debt for eligible households and has the potential to help hundreds of thousands of households. Money Advice Trust has continued to shape the scheme to make sure it’s as easy as possible for people who are eligible to access it.Â
The Future
With global events pushing energy prices up again, Money Advice Trust is continuing to campaign to make sure the Debt Relief Scheme comes in as soon as possible in 2026. They also hope that – if the scheme proves successful – they can make the case for a wider roll-out to cover a wider pool of unaffordable energy debt, particularly where people fell into debt after April 2024 (as the proposed Debt Relief Scheme currently only covers debt built up before this time).Â
