The CEO of an energy company has written to every local authority in the UK asking them to donate council tax to a fuel poverty charity.

Bill Bullen, Founder and CEO of Utilities Energy, is inviting residents due to receive the £150 council tax reduction to donate it, where possible, to National Energy Action (NEA England and Wales) this winter to help those 'fuel poor'.

He has slammed the Government’s poorly targeted cost of living support package, saying low-income households will be forced further into poverty and will need to choose between heating or eating in colder months.

This latest intervention is in support of the dedicated charities that provide direct financial assistance and guidance to fuel poor households.

Utilita Energy is supporting approximately 2,000 requests for financial assistance every day. In 2021 alone, Utilita supported its customers 730,000 times to the value of £15m in interest-free loans that could be repaid in small, affordable increments.

Utilita Founder and CEO Bill Bullen said: “The Chancellor’s cost of living support package is a broad-brush stroke that will hit millions that don’t need it and leave millions of fuel poor households facing challenges that are just unimaginable for those who are lucky enough to afford the energy they need. For example, where I live in Winchester, many of the houses are in tax bracket band D but their owners do not need financial assistance – this will be the case in many postcodes.

“I have spoken to lots of people who have said they would like to donate their council tax rebate to help the fuel poor, but most said they wouldn’t know how to. Therefore, I am urging all councils across Great Britain to include links to the National Energy Action and Energy Action Scotland charities, where donations go directly to fuel poor households."

Adam Scorer, CEO of National Energy Action, said: “Charities like National Energy Action will be needed now more than ever to support and advise households in fuel poverty. We are so grateful to those people who, while eligible for the rebate, can keep comfortably warm, don’t need it, and donate it to organisations like ours. Every donation helps us do more for some of the most vulnerable people in the UK."