Council leader John Alexander has warned Dundee faces a “crisis of gargantuan proportions” over rising bills this winter.
Mr Alexander predicts “a whole section of the city that has probably never considered themselves to be at risk before” could be left to choose between heating and eating for the first time.
The Strathmartine councillor said the “scary” situation has already seen the number of calls to local advice services skyrocket because “people are desperate to know where they can access help”.
But he warned any funding to manage the crisis has already been allocated and there is no sign of more becoming available.
He is calling for intervention at a national level to avoid unprecedented levels of destitution in the coming months.
No more money to help
Mr Alexander said: “If we get a horrendous winter, I have no more money to deploy to help people keep the heating on, keep the lights on, and that’s horrific.
“I genuinely feel like I’m not able to make the kind of decisions or progress that I’d like to see in the city because we’re doing it with one hand tied behind our backs. We just don’t have the resources.
“The crux here is that it’s not just about immediate intervention.
“In a few months time, when the situation continues, the resources will be all gone and there is nothing I’m aware of that’s coming down the line.
“Once that money is gone, it’s gone, and we have hee-haw, nothing at all in the closet, to be able to provide the support people need in January, February, March and beyond.
“It is a critical issue, it is absolutely paramount that something moves here.”
Council leader reveals own struggle
Mr Alexander revealed in a social media post on Tuesday night that he fears he will not be able to pay his own bills after being told they will increase by almost £600 a month.
The city’s top paid councillor said the mortgage payments on his Menzieshill home will increase by £273 a month, from £674 to £947.
Meanwhile, his energy bills will rise by more than £300 a month to £433.
Mr Alexander’s full time job at the council brings in a salary of £37,213 a year.
*This isnt a poor me post – rather illustrating a point with my own personal experience*
A thread….
Since March, my mortgage and energy are set to increase by £576 an EXTRA per month.
I don't live in a mansion, or in an affluent area, I live in Menzieshill in Dundee. pic.twitter.com/ebnfHMWZGO
— Councillor John Alexander (@CllrAlexander) October 18, 2022
He said that despite his senior position he is “scratching [his] head” trying to work out how he will be able to cover the £576 increase.
“I’m not pretending I’m in the same position as a lot of people but I hoped setting out my position would illustrate the point that this is going to affect so many more individuals,” Mr Alexander said.
“If I, as council leader, am looking at this and wondering how I’m going to manage to pay my bills then it should signal to everybody that this is a crisis of gargantuan proportions that I don’t think we’ve fully comprehended.”
Emergency price cap ends in April
Under Prime Minister Liz Truss, the UK Government initially brought in an energy price cap which was set to last for two years but is now only guaranteed until April.
It limits a typical household bill to £2,500.
But her so-called mini-budget has been blamed for causing market chaos, including a huge spike in interest rates on mortgages for millions across the country.
Council bosses have allocated funds to expand local advice services, help food banks and provide support for low income households through the Fuel Well scheme.
But Mr Alexander acknowledges the cash handed out so far “will not even begin to touch the sides”.
He said if it would help he would “get on my knees and beg for more resources because that is honestly where we are”.
£5 million needed to help city’s poorest
“We’ve spent about £2.5 million in terms of the support we’ve deployed for food, heating and the advice services,” Mr Alexander said.
“That’s additional to what we already spend.
“We’re going to need at least double that going forward.
“I need to get £5 million in the door of Dundee City Council so I can get it to the people that need it immediately.”
Dundee charity Togs recently obtained a £10,000 grant to provide every referral to its service with a blanket to keep warm.
Mr Alexander said he was horrified to learn a charity was having to hand out blankets to people living in homes, many of them in work, in modern Dundee.
He said there is “genuine fear” over what the winter could bring and the long-term impact on the city.
Fears over impact on children
Councillors in neighbouring Angus have expressed concern that increasing bills will cause a rise in child poverty.
Mr Alexander, who has recently been in talks with city leaders over the challenges of the coming months, said: “There’s a whole series of impacts that happen.
“It’s the unforeseen consequences, where this is going to have ramifications not just in terms of people’s abilities to pay their bills and keep a roof over their heads but educational attainment.
“If children are going to school cold and hungry – which they will – that has an impact on their education and their longer life.
“It’s much wider than simply being cold. It’s fundamental to everything we’re trying to do in this city to improve people’s lives.
“It’s not even going back one step. It will be about 10 steps.
“Unless we have a national intervention of a sizable scale.”
Conversation