Polling for Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) by YouGov found 84% of adults in Scotland are concerned about the impact of energy price rises of around £350 – the expected increase in bills following support from the UK and Scottish Government.

Almost half of the respondents (49%) are very concerned.

The energy price cap will increase by £693 in April. The UK Government has announced a scheme which essentially loans consumers £200 to bring upfront costs down, and the Scottish Government will offer payments of £150 to everyone on Council Tax Reduction or in council tax bands A-D.

CAS has been encouraging people to seek advice for soaring bills, with the CAB network unlocking £147 million for people during the pandemic.

The charity’s fair markets spokesperson Kate Morrison said: “With energy bills set to soar, lots of us are worried about the impact that will have on household budgets, but what is especially concerning here is that even taking into account the support people will get from both the Scottish and UK governments people are still worried about struggling.

“Most people will still be facing bills of around £350 a year more even if the support schemes reach everyone effectively, clearly for many that simply remains too much and as this is an average figure for some it could be much higher.

“This cost of living crisis threatens to squeeze household budgets to breaking point, and bluntly the scale of support from policymakers isn’t going to help enough.

“People were already struggling before the rise, with around half a million people in Scotland having to cut back on food to deal with unaffordable bills.

“The CAB network is here to help people. We offer free, impartial and confidential advice and can help you maximise your income. We unlocked £147m for people during the pandemic and in energy, people who saw a financial gain were on average £272 better off.”