EXCLUSIVE: Clackmannanshire mum calls for energy social tariffs for carers
Carolynne Hunter has a hospital at home set up for her daughter and pays hundreds of pounds for energy each month.
Last updated 30th Jan 2023
A Clackmannanshire woman whose daughter relies on energy thirsty life saving medical equipment is meeting with energy giants as she calls for a social tariff to protect the most vulnerable families.
Carolynne Hunter's 13-year-old daughter Freya has severe cerebral palsy and last year she was facing bills totalling more than £800 a month.
She told MFR: "It was all so expensive that I thought I was going to have to put Freya in a care home.
"There has been a lot of work done over the last few months to alleviate the pressure of unaffordable bills for most people.
"However, when your bills have always been higher than average bills then what is already in place does not necessarily take away the pressure for us."
At one point, the strain of high costs became so bad for Carolynne that she considered putting Freya into care.
She added: "We need to know that we are going to be able to look after our children safely at home.
"We already have to deal with the pressures of our children being health compromised and I should not have to think about choosing between heating or eating."
Part of the proposals include protecting hospices from high energy costs with many being forced to make difficult decisions about the quality of care they can offer.
Rhona Baillie runs The Prince and Princess of Wales Hospice in Glasgow and said: "The cost of staffing is becoming another issue for us too.
"We have to match wages to other employers such as nurses from the NHS and a social tariff could allow us to give our nurses a wage rise they deserve."
Scottish Conservative MSP Miles Briggs represents the Lothian region and has vowed to work with Carolynne to get cross-party support for a social tariff on energy bills.
He said: "Energy prices are coming down, but bills are not coming down at the same rate and ideally we would have seen that already, but I want to make sure we have a different system in place by next winter.
"If that requires legislation then we will look at that.
"I would also really like to see energy companies taking this seriously - it is really important if they want to demonstrate their corporate social responsibility.
"I am going to work hard to try to get colleagues at Holyrood and Westminster to come together to make real change."