FUEL COST INCREASES SET TO HAMMER RURAL AREAS
Concerns for vulnerable as coal, fuel oil and bottle gas prices surge.
Councillors in the rural South West of the County have raised concerns about the soaring price of fuel, especially for the vulnerable in those areas which do not have mains gas.
Heather said “Not far outside our major towns mains gas supplies stop. Although the cost of all fuels are rising, the cost of coal, bottled gas and especially fuel oil are soaring – the very fuels many rural householders are dependent on.”
There are some 1.5 million rural households that rely on oil deliveries to heat their home. Many of them have seen prices more than triple over the past six months and that is before the impact of the war in the Ukraine. People using oil to heat their homes are not covered by Ofgem’s price cap – leaving them exposed to oil price rises. The vast bulk of these in Shropshire live in rural locations, often in older, poorly insulated properties. Others use LPG and that has soaring costs too and there are delivery issues owing to a lack of drivers.
Heather continued: “One resident of mine had to pay £4,000 to have their oil tank filed whilst our local coal merchant has told me that a cost of a bag of coal will rise from £15 to £35 over the next few weeks. This will be a hammer blow to many on low to medium incomes. Some will just cut back on their heating and food with all the health implications that it entails. This is a perfect storm for rural residents and then they are faced with mounting petrol and diesel prices too.
Ruth Houghton, Shropshire Councillor for Bishop’s Castle Division added: “The Government really needs to take significant action to lessen the impact of these rises. The Chancellor could scrap the proposed increase in National Insurance next month. Alternatively, the Government could take up the Liberal Democrat suggestion to lower VAT to 17.5% for one year. That would put £57m back into Shropshire’s economy* and help a great many residents struggling to pay their heating bills.”
*95.500 households with an average saving of £600 = £57,300,000 paid for in part by an extended windfall tax on energy companies.