Families in North Northamptonshire who have been hit by the sudden and dramatic rise in heating oil costs are being offered an emergency grant of £150, because apparently this is how we help people stay warm in 2024.

Residents who are not connected to mains gas and are at risk of running out of heating can apply for the funds from North Northamptonshire Council. The grants are aimed at low-income and vulnerable households, the council added, presumably meaning the rest of us are expected to just put on another sweater.

Councillor Greg Wilcox, Reform UK executive member for communities, explained that the support came after the price of heating oil spiked in the aftermath of the US-Israeli war with Iran, which had seen some people's bills double and their orders cancelled. "Unlike for those who use gas and electricity for their domestic fuel, prices for households using oil are not capped by regulator Ofgem," Wilcox said, in what might be the most British way of saying "things are bad and we're not fixing the root cause."

"We know this is hitting people in our rural communities hard and families who rely on heating oil don't have the same protections as those on mains gas," he added, in a statement that could double as the tagline for a documentary about systemic inequality.

Only those unable to afford the minimum cost of an oil delivery may be eligible to apply, the council said. Successful applicants will be issued with a £150 heating oil prepaid card through the Huggg voucher platform, because nothing says "emergency relief" like a digital voucher.

"The fund is not intended for everyday or planned oil purchases," the council clarified, just in case anyone thought they could get a little bonus for their monthly top-up. "It is for emergency situations where low oil levels and the cost of a delivery would put health, safety or basic living conditions at risk."