Tax the profits of oil and gas giants
The cost of living crisis is a phrase we hear day after day, but it is only over recent weeks that the stark reality of what it will mean for many local families has become clear.
I have repeatedly spoken to people in East and South Ayrshire who are concerned that they will have to take out emergency loans, cut back on food for their families, and in some cases just stop heating their home altogether.
It seems the profits of the energy suppliers are being placed above the wellbeing of the whole country.
Inflation has hit its highest level for 30 years and by April a lot of households can expect to see their energy bills go up by over 50 per cent.
For many in our community that could push them into poverty, and so little is being done about it.
I believe it is time for a windfall tax on the profits of oil and gas suppliers
to help alleviate the pressure on all consumers, but especially those at the sharp end.
This kind of intervention will help people like the parents in Whitletts I spoke to that are cutting back on food so they can afford enough for their children to eat.
A longer term aspect of this problem comes from the UK’s overreliance on imported gas when so many other countries in Europe have diversified their supply through the expansion of renewables and nuclear, yet here we are closing down nuclear power stations in North Ayrshire and selling offshore wind contracts to foreign companies that will not reinvest the money in our national infrastructure.
It is clear that at a local level we need to start producing and distributing more of our own energy, so we can make the cost of living manageable for everyone.