Age UK responds to Ofgem's announcement on pre-payment meters (PPMs)

Caroline Abrahams Charity Director at Age UK said

It is good to see some regulation coming in to begin to rein in the practice of forcibly installing pre-payment meters PPMs, which has previously been something of a Wild West, but these new rules do not go far enough. We don’t think any older person should be subjected to this treatment, not only the over-85s and the over-75s who are deemed vulnerable in some way, partly as a matter of principle but also because of concerns about how effective the assessment of vulnerability will be. The risk is that some older people - and younger people too - who should definitely not be on a PPM end up on one. 

“Today marks an important first step but ultimately the sooner the practice of forcibly installing PPMs ends the better. In the meantime PPMs should only ever be used as a last resort."