Political opinion: Crawley MP Peter Lamb welcomes Government plans to scrap gas standing charges
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Peter Lamb, Labour MP for Crawley, has welcomed the Prime Minister's announcement that the Government is examining plans to abolish standing charges on household gas bills, describing the move as a welcome step towards making energy bills fairer and more affordable.
The announcement follows Prime Minister Andy Burnham's commitment in Parliament to ask the Chancellor and Energy Secretary to look at removing standing charges from gas bills, with ministers expected to report back on the proposals.
Standing charges are fixed daily fees paid by households regardless of how much energy they actually use. Under the current energy price cap, the average household pays almost 30p a day in gas standing charges alone, equivalent to more than £100 a year before using any gas.
The proposals could particularly benefit households that use less energy but are still required to pay these fixed costs, including pensioners, people living alone and those who have made efforts to reduce their energy consumption.
The announcement builds on measures already introduced by the Labour Government to help households with the cost of living, including removing VAT from domestic electricity bills from October and taking an average of £150 in costs off energy bills earlier this year.
Peter Lamb, Labour MP for Crawley, said: "I welcome the Prime Minister's announcement that the Government is looking at scrapping standing charges on gas bills. For too long, households have been expected to pay significant fixed charges before they've even switched on their heating. “
"Energy is an essential part of everyday life, not a luxury, and I know from speaking to residents across Crawley just how much pressure rising household bills continue to place on family finances.”
"Crawley residents should be rewarded for using less energy, not penalised by charges which remain the same regardless of their consumption. That's why I believe looking at removing these standing charges is a welcome and sensible step. Of course, the important thing is ensuring any changes translate into genuine savings for households, rather than simply moving costs elsewhere on people's bills.”