MP backs mechanic’s energy crisis petition
Brendan O’Hara MP is backing an Oban father’s petition against energy price hikes.
Hundreds of people have already signed mechanic Murdo MacKenzie’s online petition calling for UK Government support for households hit hardest by the unfolding crisis.
Murdo, who was in The Oban Times earlier this month calling on Oban people to stand together and call for government action, said: ‘Energy bills for an average household, already set to rise to £1,971 in April, could hit £3,000 in October, when the regulator Ofgem next sets the price cap.
‘I started this petition to protest at the massive hike we are seeing in energy prices. People shouldn’t have to choose between food or heat, and this will severely affect the most vulnerable in our society.’
Mr O’Hara said: ‘Murdo is right to be angry about this issue – families cannot be forced to choose between putting food on the table and heating their homes simply because of their postcode. This is a crisis on top of a crisis, and I’d urge anyone affected or worried to sign Murdo’s petition.’
The SNP MP has also written to the Chancellor calling for a U-turn on the £20 cut to Universal Credit, which is hitting low-incoming families the hardest.
Mr O’Hara continued: ‘I am glad to have met with Murdo to offer my unequivocal support.
‘Over 60 per cent of properties in Argyll and Bute do not have access to mains gas, meaning families are being faced with substantial price hikes that they simply cannot afford to pay. The UK Government must recognise the discriminatory nature of the energy crisis and put measures in place to safeguard those households that are reliant wholly on expensive electricity and domestic oil to power and warm their homes.’
And he added: ‘The UK Government need to formally recognise the price hikes are going to have a devastating impact, particularly on those who live in rural areas, and put financial support in place for the millions of people whose bills could triple or quadruple over the course of this year.’
Mr O’Hara was a co-sponsor of the Energy Pricing (Off Gas Grid Households) Bill introduced by SNP MP Drew Hendry. The Bill is designed to help people living in areas which are off the gas grid and whose fuel prices are becoming increasingly unaffordable.
He said: ‘I have written to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Chancellor calling for a U-turn on the £20 cut to Universal Credit which is hitting low-incoming families the hardest, at a time when National Insurance hikes and a sky-rocketing cost of living are crippling millions across Scotland and indeed throughout the UK.’
You can find Murdo’s petition at www.change.org/p/boris-johnson-government-to-intervene-on-crazy-energy-price-hikes.