A HARDGATE campaigner has urged people to cancel their direct debits with energy suppliers and switch to ‘pay-as-you-go’ style bills – but local financial experts have warned of the risks of such a move.

David Milligan, who runs a YouTube channel about social issues, is urging Bankies to protest the energy price cap rise.

The call comes as Ofgem revealed energy prices will sky-rocket by more than originally predicted in October this year, then again in January 2023 to an average of £4,266 per annum.

Mr Milligan said: “People are going to die. This year, we are going to be stuck in a situation where they don’t want to switch the heating on because they are scared, they don’t have enough money to buy food.”

He said the aim of the protest is to send a strong message to the energy companies by impacting their cash flow.

Mr Milligan said: “People are now being shocked by the amounts taken which include a large ‘just in case’ amount to keep ahead. 

“Some people are reporting that their credit balance can be in excess of £1,500.

“Asking people to cancel their direct debit and go on to normal billing puts a large lag into the cash flow of the energy companies and if enough people support that low level and legal protest, it will send a sharp message to the energy companies that people are prepared to work together to a common end.”

Mr Milligan’s campaign is similar to that of England-based Don’t Pay UK, which is asking people around the UK to cancel their monthly direct debits on October 1.

Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis warned the movement to cancel is growing.

He told ITV last month: “We are getting close to a poll tax moment on energy bills coming into October and we need the Government to get a handle on that because of course once you get to that it’s exponential the problems that start to happen.”

Joe McCormack, of West Dunbartonshire Citizens Advice Bureau, is concerned about campaigns such as Mr Milligan’s and Don’t Pay UK, and has insisted people need to consider the risks of taking drastic action. 

He told the Post: “The Don’t Pay campaign don’t say what the solution is likely to be for individual consumers. It’s based on the idea that if everyone does this it might work.

“But if everyone doesn’t do it then there are people who maybe cancel their direct debit, end up further in debt, end up in further hardship moving into the winter 
and there are other consequences.

“So our advice would always be, come to the CAB, go to welfare rights, get advice, let’s look and see what steps there might be to help individuals who can’t afford to pay their bills.

“It’s going to be tough, it’s going to be hellish. But to simply say don’t pay your direct debits and things will change, there is no guarantee of that and in fact, it might only make things worse for individual consumers and our concerns at the CAB will always be the individual in front of us.”