Shropshire park home owner's anger over energy fund change

Nick Flatters said park home residents should be treated the same as those who lived in traditional homes

The owner of a park home has said he feels treated like a "second class citizen" over changes in access to energy discounts.

Park homes are detached, bungalow-style properties, usually on private sites.

Nick Flatters, from Shropshire, said to access the government's Warm Home Discount, he had to apply through a third party while "traditional" homes were processed automatically.

The Department for Energy Security & Net Zero was approached for comment.

Mr Flatters, who lives on a private site in Cleobury Mortimer, said there were six other residents who knew nothing about the change in accessing one-off payments to help with the cost of energy during the winter.

He said he had received the discount directly from his energy supplier until last year.

But after receiving nothing by March 2023, he said he discovered all park home residents had to apply via a website run by Charis.

He said at no point was he notified about the change and therefore missed out on a £150 payment.

The same system, he said, was in operation for this winter on a first-come-first-served basis, although while he intended to apply, the process was not yet live.

Mr Flatters said he felt park home residents were treated as "second class citizens"

Mr Flatters said many people who lived in park homes were "vulnerable" or older, and the money made a "massive difference" as they "need the heat".

"It is as if we are a second class citizen," he said.

"We pay our council tax, it is not a caravan we live in, it is a proper home and it just seems any time any assistance comes to everybody else in the country, we're forgotten.

"It seems the government aren't interested in us."