Average energy bills to skyrocket
The average energy bill for a Mid Sussex household could rise by more than £550 a year, according to new analysis.
Last month the Middy, along with its sister titles, launched its ‘Heat & Eat - Fight the cost of living’ campaign.
With looming tax rises, inflation and increases to energy bills, many more families will be faced with the choice of putting food on their table or turning the heating on.
Analysis conducted by the Lib Dems estimates that an average yearly energy bill for a Mid Sussex household will skyrocket by £559, the equivalent of £47 a month, once the new price cap comes into effect in April.
Last year the average homeowner in Mid Sussex was charged £707 for their bills every year, but that figure could rise to £1,266.
And this could be just the start as the price cap could rise again in the autumn.
Lib Dems in Mid Sussex are calling for a one-off tax on the super-profits of oil and gas giants, to fund an emergency package of support for residents.
This would include the doubling and expansion of the Warm Home Discount to those in receipt of Universal Credit or Pension Credit, giving 9,293 households in Mid Sussex £300 each off their heating bills this year.
The Lib Dems are also calling for the Winter Fuel Allowance to be doubled, helping 14,800 pensioners in the area keep their homes warm.
Alison Bennett, Lib Dem group leader at Mid Sussex District Council, said: “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.”
Meanwhile Labour Party members have been out talking to residents in Haywards Heath this week about the cost of living crisis.
Pam Haigh, chair of Mid Sussex Labour, said: “We’re entering a really difficult time for lots of families.
“People are seeing their gas bills and food bills soaring. And now, from April, the government has chosen to hit people with an increase in national insurance tax too.
“People all over the country, including in Mid Sussex, are having to make really tough decisions about how they can afford to heat their homes and to feed themselves – and they are simply not being helped by this Conservative government.”
Labour wants the government to abolish VAT on domestic energy bills and scrap the planned NI tax hike.