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Simon Lightwood, Labour Member of Parliament for Wakefield, has today shared data with the Wakefield Express that shows households in Wakefield could face nearly £100 more with their energy bills this spring.
This increase could happen if the Government do not cancel the planned rise to the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG) in April, from £2500 to £3000.
Despite the prices of wholesale gas falling, the Government have not announced that their policy will change.
Charities and consumer groups, alongside the Labour Party, have been urging the Government to use the surplus from the decrease in wholesale gas prices to freeze the EPG at £2,500.
Mr Lightwood also raised this matter with Energy Security and Net Zero Ministers in Parliament, asking the Government,
“Can the Minister explain to my constituents what is fair about those in fuel poverty facing even higher bills, when wholesale gas costs are falling, and energy companies’ profits are continuing to rise?”
Speaking to the Wakefield Express, Mr Lightwood said:
“The Tory cost of living crisis has been getting worse and worse – and in April we’re due another huge spike in energy bills, costing the people of Wakefield, Horbury and Ossett nearly £100 more on their energy bills.
“At the same time, the oil and gas companies are making huge profits, but Rishi Sunak's Conservatives refuse to implement a proper windfall tax that would make them pay their fair share.
“There’s a long-term solution to this. If the Government would adopt Labour’s plan on clean power and insulating homes, households could be saving up to £1,400 off their annual bills, not just for one year, but for years to come.
“But instead, they’ve left families in Wakefield out in the cold."