Abolish standing charges from energy bills to help tackle fuel poverty, say Highland Greens in letter to Department for Business, Energy and Industry Strategy
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Standing charges should be abolished from energy bills, according to Green Party members in the Highlands and Islands.
With fuel prices crippling many households and small businesses already and set to rise further, they have written to the UK government urging it to take action to scrap standing charges.
They are also supporting sister paper the Inverness Courier’s End The Chill campaign highlighting the region’s deepening fuel poverty crisis.
The Highlands is already among the worst-affected regions in Scotland with 33 per cent of all households living in fuel poverty while a broad range of organisations have issued stark warnings many more people will face the bleak choice between heating and eating.
Standing charges same for studio flat or mansion
Green Party members have written a letter to Sarah Munby, permanent secretary at the department for business, energy and industry strategy, about standing charges which they say are the same or more for a studio flat or a mansion and cost an average £100-a-year per domestic connection for electricity while with gas as well, it doubles to about £200 but can more.
The letter states: “Our fundamental concern is that standing charges in electricity and gas bills make energy costs proportionately more expensive for lower users, compared to those of higher users.
“As such, they are a modifiable contributor to fuel poverty, not only here in the Highlands and Islands where a shocking one in three are in this category and we also suffer the most expensive unit price for electricity, but also across the UK.
“Even when people are struggling so much that they turn their energy off, they still have to pay standing charges or face disconnection.”
They state businesses have to continue to pay standing charges when not using any energy, for instance if they are seasonal or have shut for long periods and many have been struggling significantly during the pandemic.
The Greens have also written to Highland Council leader Margaret Davidson and local MPs, inviting them to join the campaign.
Prospective Black Isle candidate Anne Thomas said the party also supported the campaign calling on the UK government to End unfair electricity tariff paid by everyone in the Highlands and Islands.
“Highland homes and businesses pay the highest electricity tariffs in the country, have the coldest weather and least hours of winter daylight in addition to the regressive standing charge,” she said.
“It is not surprising there is such a high level of fuel poverty and small businesses find energy bills such a struggle, especially as Covid has caused the income of many to crash.”
MP to meet government over rising energy costs
Highland MP Jamie Stone is set to meet the government over rising energy costs after leading a debate on the cost of gas and electricity last week.
The veteran Lib Dem politician is due to meet with business and energy minister Greg Hands.
The price cap on energy bills is expected to rise by 45 per cent reaching £2000 a year or £165 a month. Without intervention, this rise could take the total number of households in fuel poverty to six million UK-wide.
“We’re speedily running out of time on this, with the energy price cap expected to increase by 45 per cent in April this year, so it’s important that the government intervenes urgently,” Mr Stone said. “This meeting is a good first step.”
