Warning people in Cornwall could face a huge energy bill hike from April
Analysis shows it could be around £50 a month
Last updated 14th Jan 2022
There is a warning that people living in Cornwall could face a huge energy bill hike from April.
Analysis by the Lib Dems shows the average yearly bill for homeowners here will jump by £630 when the new price cap comes in.
That works out to over £50 a month.
This is above the forecasted national average uplift in bills for each household of £598 per year, meaning people in Cornwall are set to be hit harder than most across the country.
Last year the average homeowner in Cornwall paid out £798 for their annual energy bill. Under the new price cap coming into force in April, that figure is set to rise to £1,428.
The energy price cap is expected to be around £1,865, according to energy experts, with it expected to increase to over £2,000 when it is revised again in the Autumn.
Cornwall Liberal Democrats are calling for a one-off ‘Robin Hood’ tax on the super-profits of oil and gas giants, to fund an emergency package of support for local residents facing eye-watering increases to their heating bills.
This would include the doubling and expansion of the Warm Home Discount to those in receipt of Universal Credit or Pension Credit, giving 63,652 households in Cornwall £300 each off their heating bills this year.
They are also calling for the doubling of the Winter Fuel Allowance to be doubled, helping 18,020 pensioners in the area keep their homes warm.
Colin Martin, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Lostwithiel, said:
“These figures reveal that people in Cornwall are facing eye-watering increases to their energy bills in April, while the Government is just sitting on its hands.
“Many pensioners and other local residents are already deeply worried about their next heating bill landing on their doormats.
“The Liberal Democrats have set out a clear plan to give thousands of people in our area £300 each off their heating bills this year. It’s time Boris Johnson stopped taking our local communities for granted and offered families the support they need to cope with energy price hikes.”
“Families are facing an energy bill nightmare, while the Government is asleep at the wheel. They’ve failed to do anything to protect vulnerable people from this cost of living crisis.
“Liberal Democrats are calling for the doubling and expansion of the Warm Home Discount Scheme and the doubling of the Winter Fuel Payments to protect vulnerable people this winter. This would be funded by a one-off ‘Robin Hood Tax’ on the super-profits of gas and oil companies and traders who are raking it in hand over fist.”