‘Time for action’: Suffolk MP demands oil price cap in letter to senior ministers
The letter was co-signed by 32 other Labour MPs representing rural and semi-rural constituencies across England, Wales and Scotland.
A Suffolk MP has demanded an oil price cap in a letter to senior Government ministers.
Jenny Riddell-Carpenter, MP for Suffolk Coastal, has headlined a letter urging the Government to introduce a price cap on heating oil and liquified petroleum gas (LPG) – both used for off-grid heating.
The letter, which follows consistently high costs due to the war in Iran, was addressed to Ed Miliband, the energy secretary, and Rachel Reeves, the chancellor.
It was co-signed by 32 other Labour MPs representing rural and semi-rural constituencies across England, Wales and Scotland.
They said the energy price cap introduced and maintained by Ofgem since 2009, although flawed, provided families connected to the grid with protections others did not have.
Of the estimated 1.7 million homes using either off-grid heating oil or LPG, the vast majority are in rural areas, leaving communities like those in Suffolk at greater risk.
The MPs said: “It is a basic social contract: that no household connected to the national grid will be left entirely at the mercy of speculative pricing.
“It is now time for action, and we are calling on the Government to correct these historical injustices.”
Their demands include:
A cap on the cost per litre of oil or unit of LPG.
Imposing a duty on suppliers to publish prices transparently and in real time, with enforcement for those who do not.
Targeted supplementary support, over and above the £53 million already announced.
They said, although the measures would come at a cost to the country’s books, ‘the political and moral cost of inaction is higher’.
What you can do if you’re struggling
The Government has announced a £53 million package to support those struggling the most.
The money will be distributed by Suffolk County Council’s Local Welfare Assistance Scheme (LWAS), which can be accessed on the authority’s website.
This support becomes available from April 1.
Residents are also being encouraged to get in touch with other local organisations, such as Citizens Advice – local branches can be found here.