Families and business need certainty and support with energy bills

MP Helen Morgan urged the Government to provide certainty to families struggling to make ends meet after it was revealed that typical energy bills are now set to rise to more than £4,300 per year.

The Conservatives are removing the Energy Price Guarantee 18 months earlier than planned, forcing households to deal with a huge rise in bills from April next year.

Helen, the Lib Dem MP for North Shropshire, told the House of Commons that families and businesses need certainty so they can plan their budgets and hit out at the Government’s refusal to help off-grid homes.

People who rely on heating oil or LPG to heat their homes due to being off the gas grid have seen bills increase by more than £1,200 per year but have only been offered £100 in Government support. They have also not been told how they can access the money.

Helen and the Liberal Democrats want a windfall tax on the huge profits of energy giants to pay for the energy price cap which they believe should be extended to heating oil and LPG to help families in rural areas like North Shropshire.

Speaking in the Commons, Helen Morgan MP said: “What will the Chancellor be saying to the millions of people who are worried about their energy bills next year, despite the Government’s promising them certainty. How will he help those who, while also dealing with spiralling mortgage costs, will struggle to make ends meet?

“The Government could have provided much more responsible assistance by extending the windfall tax on the oil and gas giants which continue to rake in extraordinary profits at the expense of British consumers, instead of botching a Budget and leaving taxpayers and mortgage holders to pay for this mess for years to come.”

She continued: “The need for large-scale intervention to prevent many households from facing unimaginable difficulty this winter is beyond dispute, but the Government have made the choice—the wrong choice—to allow heating costs to double while refusing to properly tax the eye-watering profits of oil and gas companies.”

Helen also criticised the Government’s lack of action to reduce the amount of energy being used in the country and said businesses more than six months of support if they are to be able to plan for their futures.

Helen added: “If the Prime Minister wants to promote economic growth, she must recognise that stability and certainty are vital preconditions for businesses to invest.

“This assistance is too little, too late: many businesses have already closed, and many more do not see how they can operate beyond the winter.”