Support available for vulnerable Suffolk residents as heating oil prices soar
Residents across the county have seen their heating oil bills increase significantly as a result of the assault launched by the US and Israel in Iran
Support is available for Suffolk’s most vulnerable residents as heating oil prices continue to soar.
Residents across the county have seen their heating oil bills increase significantly or even had their orders cancelled as a result of the assault launched by the US and Israel in Iran.
The county council has said those in financial hardship could apply to its Local Welfare Assistance Scheme (LWAS).
Cllr Nadia Cenci, the county’s lead for communities, said the authority knew residents were ‘ feeling the strain’.
“This support is particularly important in a rural county like ours, where over one in ten households rely on oil as their sole central heating fuel,” she said.
“Rural areas like Suffolk need proper recognition and will need sustained national support to address the scale of the problem.
The LWAS is not meant for emergency support, however, and only one award can be made in a six-month period.
More information, including eligibility criteria, can be found on the council’s website.
According to reports from The Telegraph, ministers told MPs the Government would issue guidance to councils on how to ease pressure for those most in need.
The county council said it had not yet received any letter of guidance.
What have leaders said?
Several leaders across the county have written to ministers, urging the Government to do more to support residents.
Green councillors Caroline Topping, Andrew Mellen and Deborah Saw, representing East Suffolk, Babergh and Mid Suffolk councils, were among them.
They said: “We have many elderly and vulnerable residents living on fixed incomes in isolated villages who are very worried about how they will afford to heat their houses.”
Meanwhile, MPs of all colours have also joined in.
Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, MP for Suffolk Coastal, said she had been working with ministers as part of the Labour Rural Research Group (LRRG).
The group has launched a survey asking people across the UK to share their experience.
James Cartlidge, the MP for South Suffolk, said the situation was ‘extremely unfair’, stressing concerns around price, cancelled contracts and theft.
Nick Timothy, West Suffolk MP, went as far as saying some companies were ‘price gouging’ residents.
“Across the country, we are hearing stories of companies ripping off customers,” he said.
Adrian Ramsay, the MP for Waveney Valley, which straddles both Suffolk and Norfolk, said: “No one should be left in the cold or without hot water or have to worry about how they’ll afford the next delivery.”