Stephen Williams' views on fuel poverty and energy bills
I know that many Bristol West constituents have been seeking Government action to help assuage the high cost of energy bills during the very cold season we have experienced. There are many people who are particularly vulnerable to the threat of rising energy costs, such as the elderly and cancer patients, who spend long periods at home and are more susceptible to suffering from a cold environment.
As such, I am extremely concerned about the rising fuel bills in the UK. Figures from the Department of Energy and Climate Change show nearly 5 million households in England could have been in fuel poverty in 2009. This is an extremely sharp rise from just 1.2 million in 2004. A typical household now pays more than £1,000 in combined gas and electricity charges a year and energy bills might rise significantly.
In the last Parliamentary session, there were two attempts to introduce a Fuel Poverty Bill that sought to provide relief for vulnerable people in the face of rising fuel costs. I voted in favour of these Bills, as did my Liberal Democrat colleagues; however, both Bills failed to reach the necessary votes needed to progress through the House. It was disappointing to see this important issue fail to receive the attention it deserved, and despite the efforts of the Liberal Democrats, lack of support from Labour and Conservative politicians meant that no headway could be made on tackling the rising costs of winter fuel payments.
Energy prices are unpredictable, suddenly rising and falling. This is unfair and means millions of people are suffering the effects of fuel poverty. At present, energy companies make millions and profit from inefficient homes, charging more for using less energy. Complicated and confusing tariffs make it harder for struggling families to afford their bills. The Liberal Democrats believe in simplifying energy prices, increasing the energy efficiency of houses, and passing savings on to households. Action is possible to tackle all three factors; it is not good enough for the Government to accept the current growth in fuel poverty and unfair fuel prices. If elected, the Liberal Democrats would require energy companies to charge families less for the first energy they use, introduce a fair social tariff system for disadvantaged families and roll out smart meters to all households within five years.
I am pleased to report that there is now a new Bill, simply called the Energy Bill, which provides for mandatory social price support to reduce energy bills for the most vulnerable. My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I voted for the Energy Bill and we support the introduction of mandatory social tariffs; however, we believe that the Energy Bill does not go far enough in helping reduce fuel poverty. All households in fuel poverty should be offered a whole house package of approved energy efficiency measures. We support the introduction of a national programme to make every home a warm home (rated 81 or above on the Standard Assessment procedure) within 10 years.
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats