Skip to main content

Lib Dems Demands Rural Cost of Living Rescue Package Including Heating Oil Price Cap



Welsh Lib Dems call for rescue package for struggling families in rural areas

Conservatives are accused of leaving rural communities “out in the cold” after refusing to cap the price of heating oil.

10/13 of the seats the Welsh Conservatives hold at a Westminster level are rural in nature alongside 7/8 of the constituency Senedd seats they hold.

Ceredigion, Powys, Ynys Mon, Gwynedd, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Monmouthshire are most reliant on heating oil.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have demanded a rural cost of living rescue package, including a cap on heating oil prices to help struggling families off the gas grid. The party warned that the Conservatives are leaving rural communities “out in the cold” by refusing to help with soaring bills.

 

The rural cost of living rescue package would include a cap on heating oil costs to support the estimated 243,100 Welsh properties off the gas grid and bring in an emergency tax cut slashing VAT from 20% to 17.5%, saving families an average of £600 each. The VAT cut would save a motorist £48 a year on filling up their car.

 

The Conservative government has refused to cap prices for heating oil, leaving consumers vulnerable to soaring prices. In response to a recent parliamentary question, a Conservative minister said: “A price cap is not necessary as consumers can shop around and switch suppliers more easily than for gas and electricity.”

 

Prices of heating oil have more than doubled since August 2021. It means the cost of heating oil for the average household is expected to soar by between £700 to £1,700 this year.

 

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds is calling for an energy price cap for heating oil to help families in rural areas struggling to get by. Under the party’s proposals, the UK Government would step in to cover the cost if oil goes above the set price, protecting families from soaring prices and preventing small business suppliers from going bust.

 

Analysis by the Welsh Liberal Democrats has revealed five out of six of the areas most dependent most reliant on heating oil fall within the Senedd region of Mid & West Wales. Ceredigion has the highest proportion, where just over 35% of homes use heating oil, followed by Powys (29.5%) and Ynys Mon (20%). Other hard-hit areas include Carmarthenshire (24%), Pembrokeshire (22.7%), Gwynedd (15%) and Monmouthshire (12%).

 It comes as the outgoing Deputy President of the National Farmers Union of England, Stuart Robert announced he has joined the Liberal Democrats, warning that the Conservatives are letting down farmers and rural communities.

 Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds said:

 “This Conservative government is leaving rural communities out in the cold through their stubborn refusal to help those facing soaring heating bills.

 

“People are being plunged into fuel poverty but instead of helping, the Conservatives are raising unfair taxes again and again.

 

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats are demanding a rescue package for rural areas, through a cap on heating oil prices and an emergency tax cut to save struggling families six hundred pounds.

 

“Next week’s local elections are a chance to send Boris Johnson a message that people in rural areas are fed up of being taken for granted. Every vote for the Welsh Liberal Democrats will help elect a strong local champion who will fight for a fair deal for their community.”

Labels:
Location: Wales, UK

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Jeremy Hunt’s Financial Statement Offers Only Uncertainty for Welsh Families

  Commenting on Jeremy Hunt’s shock economic intervention Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said:   “Hunt’s statement points to the despicable damage that the Conservatives continue to wreck on households, businesses and individuals. All his statement today has done is cause wider uncertainty for households and the businesses sector.   “The Conservatives are trashing the economy with every day that passes and creating havoc for peoples’ mortgages. Now they are planning to inflict even more suffering by raising energy bills, hiking taxes and slashing crucial public services. These service cuts will see knock-on effects to the Welsh Government as budgets for key departments like education and health may be squeezed even tighter.   “What’s worst is they are still determined to protect oil and gas giants from a proper windfall tax and they are still cutting taxes for the big banks.     “Truss and Kwarteng are symptoms of a wider problem. This entire Conservative par
Post a Comment
Read more

Significant Gaps Remain in Welsh Government Building Safety Announcement

  The Welsh Liberal Democrats have welcomed progress announced today in the Welsh Government’s building safety announcement but have warned significant gaps remain. Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS and Cardiff Liberal Democrat Group Leader Cllr Rhys Taylor addressing building saftey campaigners.   The announcement given by Environment Minister Julie James MS confirmed that 9 property developers have now signed up to the Welsh Government’s “Developers Pact” agreeing in theory their responsibility to remediate buildings they constructed with safety defects.   The announcement follows a lengthy campaign by leaseholders in the five years since the Grenfell Tower Disaster.   However, three major developers are still yet to reply.   The Welsh Liberal Democrats have stated that due to the Welsh Government’s failure to work with the UK Government on the Building Safety Act, they are left with little to no options to deal with the property developers who have refuse
Post a Comment
Read more

Welsh Lamb Exports to the US Welcome - But the Conservatives Are Paving Over Other Cracks

  Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS. "While we will of course always welcome more export opportunities for our fantastic Welsh produce, Liz Truss and the Conservatives are trying to plaster over the cracks regarding the damage they have already done to the Welsh farming sector.   "That is that they sold out Welsh farmers for cheap trade deals with Australia and New Zealand for nothing in return. This was spearheaded by Liz Truss despite Australian commentators even being in disbelief about how lopsided the deals were.   “Tariff free access by New Zealand in particular poses a direct threat to the survival of the Welsh lamb industry and the communities it supports, including Welsh language communities.   "If Liz Truss was supportive of such poor trade deals already, it does beg the question how much more damage she could do to the sector as the UK seeks revised trading arrangements with the likes of the US, Argentina and Brazil.   “This is of cou
Post a Comment
Read more