Political opinion with Cllr Duncan Crow: We need to make energy affordable again

From October 1st, the Energy Price Cap will rise by 3.6%, taking typical household energy bills to £1,723 a year. This follows the 13% increase that came in at the start of July. When added to rising bills such as council tax and water, the high costs of rents and mortgages, and high petrol and diesel prices, it makes life increasingly unaffordable for many.

Sadly, I  suspect these cost of living pressures over a prolonged period of time are generally making us more miserable as a country. There are no easy answers to address the fundamentals causing these high prices, and those populist political parties claiming there are, should never be trusted.    

Understanding everything that is behind the high cost of energy, including previous policy mistakes made, is important when looking to address the issue going forward. We generally know that prices shot up from the start of Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine, but there is more to the underlying causes. The war severely affected gas prices which also impacts the cost of electricity, but other inflationary pressures are coming through, linked to how electricity is generated and transmitted, as well as carbon taxes and generation levies.

Government focus tends to be treating the symptoms, such as the temporary six-month 5% VAT removal on electricity (not gas) from this October, and when the previous government brought in the Energy Price Guarantee, that saved households roughly £1,400 during the 2022/3 winter.

Longer term, the focus needs to move to the causes. It’s not just household bills, but the overall cost of everything is impacted by high energy costs, holding back our economy. Additionally, the reduction in household discretionary income caused, is also impacting local economies, something I’m increasingly observing in Crawley.

I welcome that as the only serious and credible alternative for government, that the Conservatives are investing a lot of time in seeking ways to make energy affordable again for the entire country. Our Cheap Power Plan is worth looking up online and I view it as a great start, with projected household savings of up to £540 a year.