The Cheapest Energy Bill Is The One You Don’t Have To Pay Because Your Home Is Properly Insulated. By Adam Colclough
Green candidates standing in Newcastle-under-Lyme at the local elections are backing their party’s call for the government to do more to address the cost-of-living crisis.
Figures produced by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 87% of adults reported a significant rise in their cost of living during March this year, compared to 62% in November 2021.
Adults paying off a mortgage or renting, the ONS reports were struggling to meet their bills (30%), energy bills are also a significant cost for households with 4 in 10 (43%) saying they were struggling.
This is reflected in 17% of adults reporting they had used loans or credit to pay household bills and 43% saying they would not be able to save any money over the coming year.
The ONS survey was conducted before the 54% rise in domestic energy bills that came into effect in April, but still demonstrates the tend for costs to rise sharply.
In a statement reported by the BBC, an ONS spokesperson said: “While rising household bills will affect most households across the country, they are more likely to disproportionately affect those in the most deprived areas”.
A spokesperson for the Green Party said: “The cost-of-living crisis is hitting local communities hard - and it’s only going to get worse. But the government is failing to recognise the severity of the situation - one where an increasing number of households face the stark choice between heating and eating”.
Adding that “The Greens have a plan to address this crisis to benefit both people and the planet. The cheapest energy bill - with the lowest carbon emissions - is the one you don’t have to pay because your home is so well-insulated that it needs little or no heating”.
Policies advocated by the Green Party include actions the government can take such as investing £250 billion in insulating draughty homes to cut energy costs, restoring the £20 uplift to Universal Credit, and giving every household £320 to help them meet the cost of another surge in energy prices in the Autumn.
In the longer term the Greens are calling for more investment in renewable energy so that it can meet 70% of the UK’s electricity needs by 2030 and a crackdown on tax avoidance by corporations and individuals with non-dom status. Companies that pollute the environment would also face significant tax rises.
A spokesperson for North Staffs Green Party said “Families across the borough face a heart wrenching choice between keeping their homes warm and putting food on the table. The government has failed to recognise the severity of the situation as it is now, and how much worse it could get”.
Adding that “Action needs to be taken now to help those in the most need and there must also be a long-term plan for using renewables to make our energy system fairer and sustainable”.
The Green Party candidates for Newcastle-under-Lyme are Jessie Mellor (Bradwell) and Will Wood (Cross Heath).
Adults paying off a mortgage or renting, the ONS reports were struggling to meet their bills (30%), energy bills are also a significant cost for households with 4 in 10 (43%) saying they were struggling.
This is reflected in 17% of adults reporting they had used loans or credit to pay household bills and 43% saying they would not be able to save any money over the coming year.
The ONS survey was conducted before the 54% rise in domestic energy bills that came into effect in April, but still demonstrates the tend for costs to rise sharply.
In a statement reported by the BBC, an ONS spokesperson said: “While rising household bills will affect most households across the country, they are more likely to disproportionately affect those in the most deprived areas”.
A spokesperson for the Green Party said: “The cost-of-living crisis is hitting local communities hard - and it’s only going to get worse. But the government is failing to recognise the severity of the situation - one where an increasing number of households face the stark choice between heating and eating”.
Adding that “The Greens have a plan to address this crisis to benefit both people and the planet. The cheapest energy bill - with the lowest carbon emissions - is the one you don’t have to pay because your home is so well-insulated that it needs little or no heating”.
Policies advocated by the Green Party include actions the government can take such as investing £250 billion in insulating draughty homes to cut energy costs, restoring the £20 uplift to Universal Credit, and giving every household £320 to help them meet the cost of another surge in energy prices in the Autumn.
In the longer term the Greens are calling for more investment in renewable energy so that it can meet 70% of the UK’s electricity needs by 2030 and a crackdown on tax avoidance by corporations and individuals with non-dom status. Companies that pollute the environment would also face significant tax rises.
A spokesperson for North Staffs Green Party said “Families across the borough face a heart wrenching choice between keeping their homes warm and putting food on the table. The government has failed to recognise the severity of the situation as it is now, and how much worse it could get”.
Adding that “Action needs to be taken now to help those in the most need and there must also be a long-term plan for using renewables to make our energy system fairer and sustainable”.
The Green Party candidates for Newcastle-under-Lyme are Jessie Mellor (Bradwell) and Will Wood (Cross Heath).