85% said access to the countryside was ‘very important’ (53%) or ‘fairly important’ (32%)
Strong support for countryside access evident across every age group, gender, region and socioeconomic background
85% of Labour voters agree that access to the countryside is important
The vast majority of people in Great Britain believe it’s important to have access to the countryside close to where they live, according to new polling from countryside charity CPRE and YouGov.
85% of those asked responded that access to the countryside was either ‘very important’ (53%) or ‘fairly important’ (32%). Strong support for countryside access was evident across every age group, gender, region and socioeconomic background.
Strikingly, 85% of those who voted Labour in 2019 agreed that access to the countryside was important. The figure for Conservative voters was 91%.
The Westminster government has already begun making decisions that will shape our countryside for generations to come.
We are calling on them to listen to their supporters and make good on their promises to protect the countryside – including the Green Belt – and to take action in CPRE’s core priority areas: planning system reform; affordable housing; the transition to clean energy and the need for joined-up decision making on how we use our finite supply of land.
CPRE chief executive Roger Mortlock said: ‘The results prove the countryside is deeply important to people, whatever their political beliefs and backgrounds.
‘The countryside is working harder than ever to address the challenges our nation faces but we’ve got to start treating our land as the finite resource that it is.
“We need a strategic, cross-government approach to land use that will help the countryside provide food and energy security, nature restoration, climate change mitigation, health and wellbeing benefits, space for new homes – and space for beauty, too.’
A local man is thanking his lucky stars and staff at a popular city sports venue for saving his life, when he collapsed on the running track following a training session early in March.
Keith Ridley, 69, from Willowbrae, and a coach with Edinburgh Athletic Club had just finished his own training session on the outdoor running track at Meadowbank Sports Centre, before he was due to start training younger members of the club, when he collapsed.
Thanks to the quick action of some medical students, who were training on the track, and Martin Bews, Operations Supervisor at Meadowbank Sports Centre, who administered CPR until the ambulance arrived to take over, Mr Ridley has lived to tell the tale. Greg Cobb, a Welcome Host at Meadowbank, who had trained as a cardiac nurse in a previous life, also gave invaluable support to Martin at the time.
Keith was taken to the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh, where he had two stents installed in blocked arteries and an ICD (implantable defibrillator) in his chest.
Keith Ridley said: “I count myself incredibly fortunate with the circumstances in which my heart attack happened and will be forever grateful for the quick actions of the medical students and the staff at Edinburgh Leisure’s Meadowbank Sports Centre, especially Martin and Greg, who most definitely saved my life.
“Medical friends of mine have told me just how critical those first few minutes are in terms of the right care administered that can make the difference in saving a life.”
Claire Rusack, Operations Director at Edinburgh Leisure said: “We are so glad that Keith is doing well and on the road to recovery. We are so proud of all the team and for the great outcome.
“Edinburgh Leisure places a huge importance on equipping our staff with the necessary skills to cope with lots of different situations. In this instance, their first aid training and accident and emergency procedures ensured an incident well managed. You hope you’ll never have to use your first aid skills, but it just highlights how critical these skills can be in saving someone’s life.”
Keith spent a week in hospital but recovered well and has now returned home. On the advice of his cardiology nurse, he is undertaking light exercise including walking and hopes to return to a structured exercise programme in the near future. He is hoping that he might be eligible to be referred to Edinburgh Leisure’s Fit For Health programme to help with his rehabilitation.
Fit For Health is a 16-week physical activity referral programmed delivered by Edinburgh Leisure in partnership with the Edinburgh Health & Social Care Partnership. Sessions are delivered across various Edinburgh Leisure venues.
Edinburgh Leisure offers First Aid courses, which are accredited by Ofqual and presented in association with the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK). These include First Aid at Work (Full 3 days); First Aid at Work (2 days refresher), Emergency First Aid at Work (1 day), Paediatric First Aid (2 days),
Emergency Paediatric First Aid (1 day).
Edinburgh Leisure also run first aid courses for clubs and colleges. These are in addition to their RLSS programme, and they welcome any requests.
Chris Packham urges people across the country to get involved in CPRE’s annual Star Count, from 17 to 24 February, to measure light pollution
As the rewilding movement gathers pace, landowners, farmers and the government are being encouraged to remember that the night sky is an intrinsic part of nature – and vital for the health of people and wildlife
CPRE is calling for changes to national and local planning policy to combat light pollution to ensure well-designed lighting that’s only used when and where it’s needed
Chris Packham is urging the public to spend 20 minutes counting stars to help build a crucial national database mapping light pollution. The broadcaster is backing a campaign by countryside charity CPRE to rewild the night sky to restore truly dark natural habitats for threatened wildlife.
Artificial light pollution is one of the biggest threats to nocturnal creatures, many of which have suffered sharp population declines. Man-made light is known to cause confusion to migrating birds, often with fatal outcomes. It interrupts natural rhythms, including the reproduction, feeding and sleeping patterns of pollinating insects, bats and nocturnal animals.
CPRE is asking as many people as possible to take part in its annual Star Count, taking place from 17 to 24 February.
By simply counting the number of stars visible to the naked eye in the Orion constellation, the public makes a vital contribution to building a nationwide picture of the state of our night sky. The results will help pinpoint the country’s most pristine skies and the areas most badly affected by light pollution.
Strengthened national and local planning policy is required to ensure we get well-designed lighting that is only used when and where it is needed. Light pollution disrupts wildlife. It also robs people of the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of the stars and reduces an often-forgotten connection to nature.
Emma Marrington, dark skies campaigner at CPRE, the countryside charity, said: ‘As the rewilding movement gathers pace, with government, landowners, farmers and conservation groups backing evermore ambitious projects, we are urging them to remember that the night sky is an intrinsic part of nature.
“Studies have shown that exposure to artificial light at night disrupts the natural circadian rhythms of humans as well as animals, leading to a range of negative health effects.
‘The night sky is becoming increasingly obscured by artificial light. Sadly, this means most people in the UK can’t see many stars at all, especially if they live near a big town or city. Yet, it’s a form of pollution that has been allowed to grow for years without any significant effort being made to control the damage it’s causing to people, nature and the environment. It’s time to rewild the night sky and help people, as well as wildlife, reconnect to such a vital part of our heritage.’
Two-thirds of invertebrates are partially or wholly nocturnal, and even daytime species can be severely impacted by the loss of a dark night sky. Research has shown light pollution can reduce fruit production, with visits to flowers by nocturnal pollinators, such as moths, beetles and flies, down by 62% in one study.
Environmentalist and broadcaster Chris Packham said:‘We have many grave concerns about things which are impacting negatively upon our wildlife and they all urgently need addressing. One which is unfortunately relatively frequently overlooked is light pollution.
“Light pollution can be a real nuisance. It can interrupt animals’ behaviour and drastically disrupt their ecology, particularly nocturnal species like bats and moths. And that’s why CPRE, the countryside charity, is organising Star Count.
“This is a great piece of citizen science where me and you can gaze into the night sky and count the number of stars which are visible to us in the constellation of Orion. This is stargazing made easy and you don’t even need a telescope”.
CPRE is calling for stronger local and national planning policy to combat light pollution – the National Planning Policy Framework, where these policies are decided, is currently under review. Now is the time for the government to act.
In the countryside – particularly near nature restoration projects and proposed wildlife corridors, in AONBs and national parks – naturally dark skies reinforce the benefits of returning the land to the most natural, healthy and peaceful state possible.
Simple and cheap measures, such as directional street lighting, timer switches on exterior lights and changing the colour of LED bulbs can make a significant improvement to light blight. Minimum standards are needed for the management of external lighting to cut light pollution; and stronger policies in local plans to ensure existing dark skies are protected, and that new developments do not increase light pollution.
Alastair Driver, director of Rewilding Britain, said:‘Naturally dark skies reinforce the whole ethos of rewilding. Not only are they so important to much of our wildlife, they also engender a sense of wildness for people, which is crucial in strengthening our connections with nature.
“This, as we know, dramatically improves mental and physical health. Naturally dark night skies are a vital and meaningful part of our natural heritage.
“For nocturnal wildlife in particular, the night sky is a crucial part of the environment. Reproduction, feeding and sleeping patterns are directly impacted by light pollution. Like all forms of pollution, it’s harmful to nature. Where public money is rightly invested in rewilding and nature recovery projects it clearly makes sense to ensure the night sky is in as natural a state as the land and sea.”
Prime Minister Liz Truss’s opening speech on the energy policy debate in the House of Commons yesterday:
Earlier this week I promised I would deal with the soaring energy prices faced by families and businesses across the UK. And today I am delivering on that promise.
This Government is moving immediately to introduce a new Energy Price Guarantee that will give people certainty on energy bills.
It will curb inflation and boost growth.
This Guarantee – which includes a temporary suspension of green levies – means that from 1st October a typical household will pay no more than £2,500 per year for each of the next two years, while we get the energy market back on track.
This will save a typical household £1,000 a year. It comes in addition to the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme.
This Guarantee supersedes the Ofgem price cap, and has been agreed with energy retailers.
We will deliver this by securing the wholesale price for energy, while putting in place long-term measures to secure future supplies at more affordable rates.
We are supporting this country through this winter and next, and tackling the root cause of high prices, so we are never in this position again.
For those using heating oil, living in park homes or those on heat networks, we will set up a fund so that all UK consumers can benefit from equivalent support.
We will also support all businesses, charities and public sector organisations with their energy costs this winter – offering an equivalent guarantee for 6 months.
After those 6 months we will provide further support to vulnerable sectors, such as hospitality, including our local pubs.
My Rt Hon Friend the Business Secretary will work with businesses to review where this should be targeted to make sure those most in need get support. This review will be concluded within 3 months, giving businesses certainty.
In the meantime, companies with the wherewithal need to be looking for ways they can improve energy efficiency and increase direct energy generation
We will be bringing forward emergency legislation to deliver this policy. And my Rt Hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will set out the expected costs as part of his fiscal statement later this month.
I can tell the House today that we will not be giving in to calls for this to be funded through a windfall tax.
That would undermine the national interest by discouraging the very investment we need to secure home-grown energy supplies. You can’t tax your way to growth.
Instead, we are taking an approach which is pro-growth, pro-business and pro the investment we need for energy security.
This is the moment to be bold. We are facing a global energy crisis and there are no ‘cost-free’ options.
There will be a cost to this intervention. However we are also acting immediately to defray the cost of this intervention in three ways.
Firstly, by ramping up supply.
Following on from the successful vaccine taskforce, we have created a new Energy Supply Taskforce under the leadership of Maddy McTernan.
They are already negotiating new long term energy contracts with domestic and international gas suppliers to immediately bring down the cost of this intervention.
We are also accelerating all sources of domestic energy, including North Sea oil and gas production.
We will be launching a new licensing round, which we expect to lead to over 100 new licences being awarded.
And we will speed up our deployment of all clean and renewable technologies including hydrogen, solar, carbon capture and storage, and wind… where we are already the world leader in offshore generation.
Renewable and nuclear generators will move onto Contracts for Difference to end the situation where electricity prices are set by the marginal price of gas.
This will mean generators are receiving a fair price, reflecting their cost of production, further bringing down the cost of this intervention.
Secondly, today’s action will deliver substantial benefits to our economy, boosting growth which increases tax receipts and gives certainty to business.
This intervention is expected to curb inflation by up to 5 percentage points, bringing a reduction in the cost of servicing government debt.
Thirdly, this morning, together with the Bank of England, we will set up a new scheme, worth up to £40 billion, to ensure that firms operating in wholesale energy markets have the liquidity they need to manage price volatility.
This will stabilise the market and decrease the likelihood that energy retailers need our support, like they did last Winter.
By increasing supply, boosting the economy and increasing liquidity in the market we will significantly reduce the cost to government of this intervention.
As well as dealing with the immediate situation we face, we are also dealing with the root causes.
Energy policy over the past decades has not focused enough on securing supply.
There’s no better example than nuclear, where the UK has not built a single new nuclear reactor in 25 years.
It’s not just about supply. The regulatory structures have failed, exposing the problems of having a price cap applied to the retail but not the wholesale market.
All of this has left us vulnerable to volatile global markets and malign actors in an increasingly geopolitical world.
That is why Putin is exploiting by weaponising energy supplies as part of his illegal war on Ukraine.
So as well as the action we are taking today on bills, we will use the next 2 years to make sure that the United Kingdom is never in this situation again.
I will be launching two reviews.
Firstly, a review of energy regulation to fix the underlying problems. We want a new approach which will address supply and affordability for the long term.
Secondly, we will conduct a review to ensure we deliver net zero by 2050 in a way that is pro-business and pro-growth. This review will be led by my Rt Hon Friend the member for Kingswood.
We are delivering a stable environment that gives investors the confidence to back gas as part of our transition to net zero.
We will end the moratorium on extracting our huge reserves of shale, which could get gas flowing in as soon as six months, where there is local support.
We will launch Great British Nuclear later this month – putting us on the path to deliver up to a quarter of our electricity generation with nuclear by 2050.
As a result of these steps on shale and nuclear and the acceleration of renewables, I am today setting a new ambition for our country.
Far from being dependent on the global energy market and the actions of malign actors, we will make sure the UK a net energy exporter by 2040.
And my Rt Hon Friend the Business Secretary will set out a plan in the next two months to make sure we achieve this.
I know businesses and families are very concerned about how they will get through this winter.
That’s why I felt it was important to act urgently to provide immediate help and support, as well as setting out our plan about how we are going to secure the UK’s future supplies.
This is part of my vision for rebuilding our economy.
Secure energy supply is vital to growth and prosperity. Yet it has been ignored for too long.
I will end the UK’s short-termist approach to energy security and supply once and for all.
That is what I promised on the steps of Downing Street.
Today we are acting decisively to deliver that pledge.
This will help us build a stronger, more resilient and more secure United Kingdom.
I commend this motion to the House.
UK GOVERNMENT BORROWING MORE TO BOLSTER OIL COMPANY PROFITS
Environmental campaigners have reacted to the UK Government plans for an energy price freeze funded by borrowing.
The UK Government will open a new licensing round for the North Sea next week, and is expected to give out over 100 permits for companies to look for more climate-wrecking oil and gas. This is despite climate science and energy experts warning that any new oil and gas projects will push the world well past dangerous climate limits.
Independent advisors have made it clear that increasing UK supply of oil and gas will have almost no impact on UK bills as prices are set by the international market.
Liz Truss also announced that her Government will lift the moratorium on shale gas. Scotland has a de facto ban on fracking.
In the first 6 months of 2022, 5 oil companies made over £80 billion in profits: Shell £16.6bn, BP £12.2bn, Exxonmobil £21.7bn, TotalEnergies £15.2bn, Chevron £14.5bn.
Friends of the Earth Scotland’s head of campaigns Mary Church said: “The impact of measures announced today to stop the immediate rise in household bills is welcome, but the approach taken by the new Prime Minister singularly fails to address the fundamental problems of a broken energy system that serves only to enrich oil company bosses and shareholders.
“The money the UK Government is borrowing will be pumped straight into the coffers of oil companies when it could have helped deliver the transition to clean, reliable renewables. People in the UK are being robbed by fossil fuel companies but instead of making them pay for the harm they are causing, Liz Truss has decided to borrow more money to keep paying the robbers.
“This energy price crisis is being driven by the price of fossil fuels and the only sure fire to prevent this happening again is a rapid and fair transition to renewable energy and a scaling up of energy efficiency.”
+ NORTH SEA OIL & GAS LICENCES “Burning oil and gas is driving the climate emergency that sees tens of millions displaced by floods in Pakistan and has brought extreme heatwaves and drought across the UK. The UK Government is denying the reality of climate change by encouraging companies to seek out more fuel for the fire that is engulfing the world.
“The Scottish Government must be willing to stand up to these reckless plans to expand fossil fuels and hand out more licences for oil and gas companies to explore and drill in the North Sea. Ministers at Holyrood must speak out and use all the tools at their disposal to block any plans to further lock us into the oil and gas that is driving both the climate and cost of living crises.”
+ FRACKING “The move to try reopen and force through fracking is a disgrace. Not only is the industry incredibly harmful in climate terms it also brings with it serious local health and environmental risks. Its laughable to suggest that fracked gas will deliver within 6 months. Communities have already successfully fought and stopped it in Northern Ireland, England and Scotland so wherever this dirty dangerous industry is proposed, it will be opposed once again.”
Commenting on the proposals announced by the government today to support households and businesses with energy bills, TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Freezing energy bills this autumn is essential for families and to protect jobs and businesses.
“But the Prime Minister is making the wrong people pay. She should have imposed a much larger windfall tax on profiteering oil and gas giants. And she should have required all firms getting help with energy bills to commit to no lay-offs for the lifetime of the help, to protect livelihoods.
“And it’s not just energy bills soaring – so she needs to do more to help families get through the winter. That means a real plan to get wages rising, a big boost to universal credit, child benefit and pensions, and a massive rollout of home improvements to cut bills. And it’s time to bring energy retail into public ownership to make sure this crisis never happens again.”
The TUC says that the government should set out a programme to make UK living standards more resilient and the UK economy more resistant to a future crisis. This should include:
Increase the windfall tax to a fairer level relative to the excess profits oil and gas firms are making.
Rapid rollout of home energy efficiency and taking the energy retail companies into public ownership – including a new approach to energy pricing with a free band of energy to cover basic lighting, heating, hot water and cooking.
A plan to get pay rising for all workers – including stronger pay bargaining rights so that working people and their unions can make fair pay agreements across whole industries.
Increase the minimum wage to £15 an hour as soon as possible – by returning the UK to normal wage growth and having a more ambitious minimum wage target.
Social security that prevents poverty – universal credit and benefits should be raised to 80 percent of the national living wage, along with a significant boost to support for families with children.
Commenting on the Prime Minister’s decision to end the moratorium on fracking, Tom Fyans, director of campaigns and policy at CPRE, the countryside charity, said: ‘Giving fracking the green light is a hideous mistake.
“If the purpose is to tackle bank busting gas prices, it’s an exercise in futility. Even if we were to go full steam ahead on fracking, which nobody wants, least of all rural communities, it wouldn’t make a dent on the cost of energy anytime soon, or ever.
‘Any move to industrialise the countryside and belch yet more fumes into our carbon-soaked atmosphere will prompt a furious response from local communities, drawn out planning delays and nationwide protests. Hardly a proposal to keep families warm this winter, or lower bills in the future.
‘The new Chancellor got it right in March, when he said fracking “would take up to a decade to extract sufficient volumes — and it would come at a high cost for communities and our precious countryside.” Nothing has changed.
‘Proposals to offer local people discounts on their bills in exchange for environmental destruction on their doorsteps need to be seen for what they are – a feeble attempt to bribe vulnerable rural communities to accept an unpopular, unsafe and polluting process that will destroy their tranquility. Local communities need to make their voices heard loud and clear – they were right to resist before and should continue to do so.
‘The answer to the fossil fuel price crisis is to reduce usage with a mass insulation drive, alongside a clean energy sprint. There has never been a better time to transform our energy infrastructure to ensure a future of abundant green power.
‘Renewables are around nine times cheaper and far quicker to plug in than any alternative. Families facing the biggest drop in living standards on record need renewable energy to become the central pillar of a modernised energy system. And they need it to happen fast.’
A LEADING property association has praised the Government’s package of measures to help those unable to afford rising energy costs.
The National Association Of Property Buyers said the Prime Minister’s “swift and decisive intervention” would help many.
Spokesman Jonathan Rolande said: “Looking at the energy and inflation crisis from the perspective of the property market, we welcome the swift and decisive intervention by the government to help households and businesses with the cost of energy by capping annual expenditure at an average of £2500.
“The impact of higher increases jeopardised so many facets of the economy it was almost impossible to over-exaggerate the terrible consequences there might have been – bankruptcies, unemployment, increased inflation, a house price crash – all were very possible.
“Bills and inflation still look set to rise. Interest rates may well do so too. But the cliff-edge has, for now, been avoided. Businesses and homeowners now have certainty about their budgets and can plan accordingly.
“There will of course be a price to pay, perhaps with higher bills or taxes in the future. But today at least, homeowners, businesses, charities and everyone in the property sector will be breathing a huge sigh of relief.”
Under proposals outlined today, a typical household energy bill will be capped at £2,500 annually until 2024.
The huge support scheme could cost up to £150bn, but Ms Truss refused to put a figure on it, saying “extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures”.
Businesses will get support, with bills capped for six months, a shorter period of protection than many had hoped for.
The help will be for everyone in England, Scotland and Wales with equivalent help for Northern Ireland.
But there are concerns the measures are not targeted enough, with no additional support for the most vulnerable. As a result, millions are still expected to be in fuel poverty this winter.
The energy price cap – the highest amount suppliers are allowed to charge households for every unit of energy they use – had been due to rise to £3,549 in October.
To limit the amount customers’ bills go up by, the government will compensate energy firms for the difference between the wholesale price for gas and electricity they pay and the amount they can charge customers.
The final cost of the scheme will depend on the cost of energy on the international energy markets, which can be extremely volatile.
The money to cover the support will be borrowed by the government, adding to the UK’s already large debt pile.
Energy price hikes will cause ‘stress, anxiety, illness, debt and death’
Today (26 August) Ofgem has announced the energy price cap will increase to £3,549 per year for dual fuel for an average household from 1 October 2022.
This comes as Ofgem’s CEO warns of the hardship energy prices will cause this winter and urges the incoming Prime Minister and new cabinet to provide an additional and urgent response to continued surging energy prices.
The increase reflects the continued rise in global wholesale gas prices, which began to surge as the world unlocked from the Covid pandemic and have been driven still higher to record levels by Russia slowly switching off gas supplies to Europe.
The price cap, as set out in law, puts a maximum per unit price on energy that reflects what it costs to buy energy on the wholesale market and supply it to our homes. It also sets a strict and modest profit rate that suppliers can make from domestic energy sales. However, unlike energy producers and extractors, most domestic suppliers are currently not making a profit.
The price cap protects against the so called ‘loyalty premium’ where customers who do not move suppliers or switch to better deals can end up paying far more than others. Ultimately, the price cap cannot be set below the true cost of buying and supplying energy to our homes and so the rising costs of energy are reflected in it.
Although Ofgem is not giving price cap projections for January because the market remains too volatile, the market for gas in Winter means that prices could get significantly worse through 2023.
Jonathan Brearley, CEO of Ofgem, said:“We know the massive impact this price cap increase will have on households across Britain and the difficult decisions consumers will now have to make. I talk to customers regularly and I know that today’s news will be very worrying for many.
“The price of energy has reached record levels driven by an aggressive economic act by the Russian state. They have slowly and deliberately turned off the gas supplies to Europe causing harm to our households, businesses and wider economy. Ofgem has no choice but to reflect these cost increases in the price cap.
“The Government support package is delivering help right now, but it’s clear the new Prime Minister will need to act further to tackle the impact of the price rises that are coming in October and next year.
“We are working with ministers, consumer groups and industry on a set of options for the incoming Prime Minister that will require urgent action. The response will need to match the scale of the crisis we have before us. With the right support in place and with regulator, government, industry and consumers working together, we can find a way through this.”
Ofgem will continue to work with government, consumers groups, charities and suppliers, in supporting any new package of help or measures to ease the crisis.
Ofgem has also today strengthened the rules around direct debits to ensure suppliers set them at the right level, meaning that customers only pay exactly what they need to. The changes will stop suppliers from building up excessive customer credit balances and using them in a risky way as working capital.
Ofgem’s clear role is to protect consumers, and it has also today:
Strengthened requirements for suppliers to have sufficient control over the key assets they use to run their businesses. Together, this and the direct debit rule changes build on existing requirements to boost supplier resilience to better protect customers from costs associated with supplier failures.
Extended the Market Stabilisation Charge (MSC), which is paid by suppliers and helps protect customers from the cost of supplier failure.
Extended the ban on acquisition only tariffs which ensures all energy tariffs are available to existing as well as new customers, ensuring all consumers can get a fair deal on their energy.
Launched a review into the mechanism and level of profit margin available under the price cap to ensure that suppliers do not earn excessive profits and receive only a fair return for the services they provide to customers.
The new price cap level will take effect from 1 October 2022, but it is possible some suppliers may begin increasing direct debits before this date to spread costs. Customers worried about when their direct debit will increase should contact their supplier. Any money taken from customers to build up a credit will only ever be spent on their energy supply and customers can ask for their credit balance to be returned at any time.
Anyone worried about paying their bill should contact their supplier in the first instance. They are obliged to discuss payment plans and direct customers to government and third sector support where available. Ofgem is tightly monitoring suppliers’ performance in this area and has told all suppliers now is the time to step up their support for customers, especially those on low incomes or in a vulnerable situation.
Ofgem continues to monitor the impact of the price cap and to work with stakeholders and government on what more can be done for those least able to pay but most in need of energy.
When the new Prime Minister announces what additional support packages will be available, Ofgem will continue to examine how best it can help those groups of people that need it the most.
Reacting to today’s announcement by Ofgem, Poverty Alliance director Peter Kelly said: “The first moral duty of government is to protect people and provide them with security. The UK Government and Ofgem are failing badly in that duty and acting without any sense of compassion and justice.
“This massive price hike is in line with predictions. Ministers knew this was coming for months but have put nothing in place to prevent a humanitarian disaster.
“We must be clear. Bills of this size will be completely and utterly unaffordable for people on low incomes, many of whom have already been struggling with cuts to social security and huge wage squeeze for years and years. They will cause stress, anxiety, illness, debt and death.
“The UK Government must act now. It is simply not right that they continue to dither – prices must be frozen and targeted support must be put in place to help those most in need.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nadhim Zahawi said:“I know the energy price cap announcement this morning will cause stress and anxiety for many people, but help is coming with £400 off energy bills for all, the second instalment of a £650 payment for vulnerable households, and £300 for all pensioners.
“While Putin is driving up energy prices in revenge for our support of Ukraine’s brave struggle for freedom, I am working flat out to develop options for further support. This will mean the incoming Prime Minister can hit the ground running and deliver support to those who need it most, as soon as possible.”
He later told the public to cut back their energy consumption – this from the man who once claimed parliamentary expenses for heating his stables!
This morning, Ofgem announced that the energy price cap will rise by 80%, taking typical household bills from £1,971 a year to £3,549 a year on 1 October.
People will rightly be worried by these huge price hikes. These eye-watering increases will simply be unaffordable for households up and down the country.
We’re demanding the government increase its support package for every household to at least £1,000, with extra support for the most financially vulnerable, or risk pushing millions of households into financial distress this winter. We also expect energy suppliers to ensure their customer service centres are adequately resourced to resolve queries quickly and help those struggling to pay their bills.
THE Government needs to spend £100 billion to freeze household energy prices for a year, according to an industry expert.Derek Lickorish, chairman of retailer Utilita Energy, told GB News: “Back in the banking crisis, Gordon Brown found £500 billion pounds to stop the banks falling apart and I’m advocating that we’re looking at about £100 billion to freeze prices for one year.
“At the moment, we don’t know what Liz Truss is bringing to the party and we don’t know whether it’s going to meet the size of the gap.
“While we have a price cap , when we get to the first of January, that figure is going to have a five in front of it, and it’s going to be another couple of thousand pounds and people cannot possibly afford to pay that amount of money for their energy bill.”
Speaking to Alastair Stewart on GB News, he added: “I think the area that needs to be looked at quite closely is the market structure, in terms of the way electricity is bought and sold, and I know there are plans to look at this now with some urgency.
“But you have a situation where you’re bringing on to the network power that has been effectively subsidised by the renewables obligation, yet they are getting these huge prices in terms of generation because the market price is set by gas.
“The wind doesn’t cost any more. The sun doesn’t cost any more. But these schemes are making an awful lot of money.
“To be fair, that’s about solutions that were brought in prior to 2017, so there was a change so that renewable projects from 2017 would get the price that they agreed.”
Asked to make a final point, Mr Lickorish said: “I want the Government to tell us what’s happening and it needs to be a very, very big number that we need to know now.
John Redwood MP, who has been tipped for a post in a new administration, suggested that VAT on energy will be scrapped for businesses when a new Prime Minister is in place.
“Cancelling VAT on fuel, at least temporarily while fuel costs are elevated, is a serious runner and any new government team will want to look at that,” he told Liam Halligan on GB News.
“I certainly agree with you that there are a lot of businesses under a lot of pressure and I think that must be part of a comprehensive package to explain to industry what help might become available.
“And what can be done about the excessive fuel bills that will directly now lead to some closures, as we’ve heard recently.”
Commenting on the energy price cap rise announced today, Crispin Truman, chief executive of CPRE, the countryside charity, said: ‘This winter’s energy bills are a ticking time bomb threatening to blow apart household finances.
“Rural areas, where wages are lower and homes often cost more to heat, will be devastated if the full force of the price rises are felt by consumers. The government must step in to prevent those living in the countryside from having to choose between eating and heating this winter.
‘We’ve been here before in the pandemic – the country is entering a national crisis that requires an emergency response. Ministers must urgently put in place direct financial support to get people through the winter, while working to deliver the only viable long term solution – improving the energy efficiency of our homes.
‘In addition to stratospheric energy bills, the cost of living crisis is being driven by a lack of housing and soaring rents for millions in the private rented sector. Homelessness is rising as half a million people languish on social housing waiting lists. In the Eden district of Cumbria, homelessness rates are more than four times what they were in early 2020.
‘Twiddling with taxes won’t cut it. To ease the cost of living crisis the government needs to provide immediate monetary support. To prevent a generation of rolling winter crises, we need to get off gas and rapidly invest in home insulation and cheap renewable energy. A longer term fix must also include providing many more social and affordable homes.’
