Essex local with disabilities: cost of living crisis is leaving us 'closed off from society'
Jess and her mum, who's also disabled, rely on electric powered items and can't reduce their energy usage
A person with disabilities from Essex is calling on the government to offer more details about what long-term support they'll be providing during the cost of living crisis.
Jess Plant, from Canvey Island, says the one off ÂŁ150 disability payment being provided - which she hasn't yet received - isn't enough to ease worries about being able to afford their energy bills.
They say her and her mum, who's also disabled, rely on electric powered items and can't reduce their usage: "It's difficult... We use more units of energy than most people.
"We have things like rise and recline chairs, mobility scooters and electric aids on the bed. We've also now got the heating on, when it probably isn't for most people yet.
"That's for my mum, who has long term health conditions, so we try and keep the lounge warmer for her... she also has a CPAP machine (used to treat sleep aponea) which has to run overnight.
"We also both have issues with incontinence and messy eating due to fine motor control issues, so the washing machine runs a lot more than it would in the average two person household."
Jess says their energy bills have now almost doubled as a result of rising energy costs. She's not impressed with the government's assistance, which has so far included capping energy bills at ÂŁ2500 and offering a one-off disability payment of ÂŁ150: "I don't think it's enough. ÂŁ150 will probably be gone, if we're being realistic, in a couple of weeks on the extra electricity.
"It's also just a one off payment. Obviously inflation becomes baked in meaning next year everything is going to be just as expensive, but the government haven't said they'll do anything about that...
"It would have been good if the government gave people some clarity about what support they'll be providing for the next couple of years, up to the general election, so that people can budget a bit more."
Jess says the cost of living crisis is having a big impact on their ability to get out of the house and socialise: "It's made us more insular.
"Obviously there's less money to do things so we're spending more time at home, which probably isn't a good thing mentally for us.
"Most of the time it's just my mum and I - we're each other's support and we can feel very closed off from the rest of society."
Jess believes the government could be doing more to aid people like her and her mum, which would, in turn, help them feel less isolated: "In the mini budget, the Chancellor should have said that they'd increase benefits in line with the rate of inflation, but they didn't, instead we have to wait until March to see what happens.
"That means we've got around six months where benefits remain the same but we're having to pay an extra 10% for pretty much everything."