It is time to end the injustice of higher energy bills for Cambridge residents who use prepayment meters, according to Labour MP Daniel Zeichner.

Over 3000 households in the city, often those who are on the lowest incomes, pay for their gas and electricity in advance.

But they fork out more than direct debit customers despite having less than half of the disposable income of monthly customers. When the energy price cap rose by £693 a year for typical households in April, it rose by £708 for the average prepayment customer.

Now Mr Zeichner has backed a Labour plan to end that injustice. Labour wants to bring prepayment prices in line with direct debit prices.

This is the first announcement in a package of measures to tackle the energy crisis that Labour Leader Keir Starmer has announced in the run up to the 26 August price cap fix from Ofgem.

Daniel Zeichner MP said:

“Pre payment customers are the forgotten energy users of Cambridge.

They have fewer options to change supplier and a much greater risk of being disconnected. And on top of that they pay over the odds to heat their homes and switch the lights on. This is unjustifiable and morally wrong.  But where are the Government? As energy prices spiral, this unfair prepayment premium needs to end once and for all. The Government eventually agreed to Labour’s windfall tax plan and once again it is down to us to set the agenda. Unlike the zombie government we have a plan to tackle the energy emergency. The time for action is now.”