Hundreds of thousands of people on Universal Credit could be missing out on cheaper deals for broadband, according to Citizens Advice Scotland. 

The charity has highlighted research, from Ofcom, which suggests only 136,000 out of 4.2 million households who get Universal Credit across the UK use a social tariff for broadband. A social tariff is a cheaper deal available to people receiving social security payments, with some providers offering Social Tariffs to a wider range of social security recipients.

CAS said that around 353,448 households could be eligible in Scotland.

It worked out that if take-up in Scotland was the same as across the UK, which is only 3.2%, then only 11,310 would be taking advantage of these tariffs, meaning more than 340,000 households in Scotland potentially missing out.

The advice charity is urging people to check if they are available through information on the Ofcom Website.

It said it supports social tariffs as a way to help people get online and wants to see more providers offer these tariffs and for eligibility criteria to be further extended to cover other vulnerable consumers.

Gillian Fyfe, CAS Strong Communities spokesperson, said: “Online access is vital to how people live, work, learn and access public services, cost shouldn’t be a barrier to getting online.

“That is why we want people to check if they are eligible for a cheaper deal on broadband. As the cost of living crisis continues to squeeze household budgets, social tariffs represent a great way for consumers to reduce their costs while maintaining access to what is nowadays an essential utility.  Hundreds of thousands of people could potentially be missing out

“At Citizens Advice Scotland we want to see access and eligibility to social tariffs extended to more people and more providers offering these types of tariffs in both the broadband and mobile markets, so those on low incomes can get more affordable deals to help them get or stay online.”

Ofcom estimated around 70% of people on Universal Credit were not aware of social tariffs.

It put the value of a social tariff to a customer at £144 per year, based on a social tariff of £15 per month compared to a commercial price of £27 per month.