“Many people will be forced into hardship when increases come in”
County Cllr Julie Gibson has expressed her concern at recently released figures which show the extent of fuel poverty across the constituency and called on the Government to scrap VAT on energy bills and put in measures that will help households to cope with the global increase in energy prices due to come into force as of 1st April.
Cllr Gibson said: “The Fuel Poverty Index is made up of individual scores for each local authority district in England and compares each local authority district’s fuel poverty rate. The average score on the Index is 67; West Lancashire comes in just above this at 69. *(figs from the End Fuel Poverty Coalition).
“With the latest Ofgem price increase coming into effect, the Universal Credit uplift ending and inflation increasing to 3.5% I am concerned many households are going to struggle to stay warm and well.”
She continued: “We must look at ways to stop these bills going up, that’s why Labour would give families security by taking fully funded measures to save most households around £200 or more, targeting extra support to some of our lowest earners. This would be paid for with a one-off windfall tax on North Sea Oil and Gas producers who have profited from price rises.”
Cllr Gibson said: “But we need more than a short-term fix. The Fuel Poverty Index shows that 13% of households in West Lancashire are experiencing fuel poverty. We need to reduce our reliance on imported gas by accelerating home-grown renewables and a long-term strategy to regulate the market better with a pledge to never again let energy companies play fast and loose with the rules.”
She concluded: “Households will face increased energy bills from 1st April; many families will be forced into an agonising choice of heating their homes or putting food on the table. No family should have to make that choice and that is why I call on the Government to scrap the VAT on energy bills until this current crisis is over.”
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