It is a worry to us all how the cost of living continues to rise and I am acutely conscious that the impact of this on lower income households will be felt greatest. I have been making enquiries with a range of private companies, regulators and Ministers, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, about policy, and ideas to improve the situation. I am currently raising points associated with the costs facing users of pre-payment electricity meters and the levels of electricity standing charge.
The Government have demonstrated throughout the pandemic, that they are willing to take hard decisions and put extra support in place when it’s needed. I have been pleased with the cost of living measures that have been introduced so far, but I agree that in time more support is needed and I will continue to lobby for additional help.
I’m am also minded of our situation as a country as a whole, namely how the Chancellor spelled out the difficult balance between helping individuals and ensuring our country has well managed finances so we can protect the public in the future, not an easy task given the country has spent £400 billion during the pandemic (compared to £158 billion in the financial crisis) and now there is war in Europe. I am a fiscal Conservative believing that sound money supports effective public policy. As I am sure you can imagine, I receive large amounts of daily emails requesting my backing for various spending pledges. It would be very easy for me to support every single pledge and give easy answers to queries about the cost of living pressures, but we cannot just ignore our economic debts as a country. And we need to be mindful that the debts we incur now do not end up as burdens on our children’s children.
For information on what support is available for the cost of living pressures, including details of the different packages previously announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak, please see this link: Support available for the Cost of Living | Dr Luke Evans MP
UPDATE: 18 August 2022
This morning I sat in on a meeting with Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi to discuss global increases in the cost of living.
I was able to raise the situation of some of our local pubs and small businesses who are expecting their bills to increase significantly. I was pleased to hear that the Treasury are well aware of these difficulties and are working on it.
I am writing to the Chancellor as well and I will continue to follow this up with Ministers.
UPDATE: 09 August 2022
Today I revisited the Job Centre Plus to catch up with the team, hear how things are on the ground and to ask for their estimations regarding what issues unemployed people in our area are facing now and, importantly, over the coming months.
I was pleased to hear that the experiences at the Job Centre reflect the rates of people claiming unemployment related benefits in our area, which most recently stands at 2.5% whereas the national average is 3.7%. They told me how pleased they are with the amount of young people in our area who are employed, but as always there’s work to be done.
I also heard that the £1.5 billion Household Support Fund continues to help those most vulnerable, and is making a difference in their view.
If you need help please contact either the JCP in the Hinckley Hub, Citizens Advice Hinckley and Bosworth or my office (by emailing [email protected]) and we will point you in the right direction for whatever help is available.
UPDATE: 01 August 2022
I have written to Lord Callanan, the Minister for Business, Energy and Corporate Responsibility regarding pre-payment meters.
Please see the letter attached below for more. I will update this page once I have received a response.
UPDATE: 26 July 2022
My office has received information which suggests that the East Midlands has seen the second highest increase in the cost of standing charges than other regions between Winter 2021 and Summer 2022. I have written to the Chief Executive of OFGEM to request correspondence on this regional variation.
Please see the letter attached below to read the letter. I will update this page once I have a response.
UPDATE: July 2022
I have written to the major supermarkets in our area regarding their work around the cost of living pressures. Given the high fuel prices, I also enquired with those supermarkets that have fuel pumps in the constituency, for confirmation that the 5p cut in fuel duty was passed on following the Chancellor's announcement.
I was pleased to receive confirmation that the 5p cut was implemented.
UPDATE: 23 June 2022
Following news that the Household Support Fund would continue to offer support for people at this difficult time, I have written to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Simon Clarke MP, to request that robust guidance is made available to Local Authorities as demand for funds available under the scheme is increasing.
[[then the text we currently have, approved previously: My work on the cost of living | Dr Luke Evans MP]]
UPDATE: 01 June 2022
I’m very pleased to see the Government’s campaign encouraging people to check their eligibility for pension credit.
There are already over 1,800 claimants in the constituency of Bosworth, but more people are eligible.
I would urge anyone who thinks they or a loved one may be entitled to Pension Credit to check their eligibility for this additional support, which is worth an extra £3,300 on average per year. The scheme can also act as a ‘gateway’ benefit, meaning it opens up additional support measures the individual may be entitled to.
Read more about this scheme and find out how to check your eligibility here: Local MP welcomes campaign to boost take up of Pension Credit in Bosworth | Dr Luke Evans MP
My work in Westminster
I have raised the cost of living with:
- The Chancellor of the Exchequer and Treasury Ministers, about Energy Costs, seeking Government assistance to provide some relief to consumers (written before the Chancellor’s announcement on 3 February 2022).
- Treasury Ministers, about rising petrol prices and the mechanisms about passing reductions in wholesale costs onto hard pressed drivers.
- Raised a number of Parliamentary Questions on fuel duty. You can read the Ministerial responses here: https://bit.ly/3uLSZHA
- Senior Leadership at OFGEM, to ensure that the Energy Price Cap can provide real protection to consumers at this time of rising energy prices.
- Senior Leadership to each of the ‘Big Six’ energy companies about the energy price cap and the importance of assistance schemes to vulnerable customers.
- Senior Leadership of Energy UK about the importance of the Energy Price Cap and assistance schemes to vulnerable customers.
- Senior Leadership of the Petrol Retailers Association about rising petrol prices.
- Senior Leadership of OFCOM on broadband contracts and mobile phone contracts.
If you, or you know personally of anyone struggling in the constituency, please do get them to contact me so I can do my best to provide signposting and guidance towards relevant assistance. Please email [email protected], and I would be more than happy to get back to you.
I have also asked the Treasury how they are making people aware of the support schemes which are in place. You can read my question below:
Question:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of steps taken by energy providers to promote and ensure take up of support schemes for vulnerable individuals struggling with rising energy costs.
Answer:
Greg Hands: The Government meets regularly with Ofgem, energy suppliers and consumer groups to help support vulnerable consumers save energy and reduce their bills. The Warm Home Discount scheme currently provides over 2 million low-income and vulnerable households with a £140 rebate off their winter energy bill.
The scheme will be extended to 2026, and from 2022 it will be worth £475 million a year (in 2020 prices) and reach nearly 3 million households. The Energy Company Obligation Scheme has delivered around 3.3 million measures in around 2.3 million homes since 2013. As per the Sustainable Warmth Strategy, the Government has committed to a four-year, £4 billion successor scheme to accelerate efforts in helping homes meet fuel poverty targets.
Similarly, I have raised the cost of broadband tariffs with the DCMS. In response, they advised that they have ‘been working closely with the independent telecommunications regulator Ofcom’ on ‘the issue of affordability’. They advise that social tariffs are available in the 99% of the UK and represent a 50% discount on the average cost of broadband.
Given how rural our area is, I am also conscious that car is the only way to travel in some areas, and that the current price of fuel is also a concern to many, so I have asked the Treasury about the extent to which the Government can ensure that any reduction in wholesale prices is passed on to the motorist.
