Fylde coast MPs respond to energy bill crisis as prices skyrocket by 54 per cent

Blackpool’s Conservative MPs, Paul Maynard and Scott Benton said the costs would be mitigated by a council tax rebate of £150, and additional support available from a £500m pot from local councils.

But Fleetwood Labour MP Cat Smith said the ‘breath-taking’ rise in energy prices would ‘leave families paying hundreds of pounds more’.

The state of Britain’s energy bills has been thrown into crisis recently as costs are expected to increase dramatically by 54 per cent, as the price cap is raised from £1,277 to £1,971.

The potential £694 hike will affect more than 22 million households across the country - and for those who pay via other methods, the costs are expected to be even greater.

About 4.5 million households using a prepayment meter face a typical hike of £708, from £1,309 to £2,017. Meanwhile, customers who pay for their energy with cash or by cheque face an average gas and electricity bill of £2,101.

The news comes as oil giant BP reported its biggest profits in eight years at £9.5 billion, with £3.01b of this coming in the final three months of 2021 alone.

Meanwhile, London-based energy giant Shell increased its profits to a ‘momentous’ £12b last year.

Here’s what Fylde coast MPs had to say about the cost of living.

BLACKPOOL NORTH AND CLEVELEYS MP PAUL MAYNARD

“Energy costs will be a concern for so many people in Blackpool and Cleveleys right now, and I am pleased the Government has sought to mitigate the impact through a council tax rebate that will benefit 96 per cent of households in Blackpool, a £3m fund to be spent locally on vulnerable households, and a much wider range of people able to qualify for the £140 Warm Homes Discount. Whilst these can all blunt the rise, what we really need in the long term is less reliance on overseas energy sources, particularly foreign oil and gas.”

BLACKPOOL SOUTH MP SCOTT BENTON

“Many local families will be very concerned about the increasing pressure on their household budget. Government help such as increasing the national living wage to £9.50 per hour and reducing the Universal Credit taper rate will be worth thousands of pounds extra per year to millions of families. Our new £9 billion package of support announced last week will help families with the costs of living with 96 per cent of local families seeing their Council tax bills cut by £150 and every household receiving a £200 upfront discount on their energy bills.

“For those families who are struggling, there is an existing £500 million pot for local councils to help families with the essentials such as food and fuel, and this has just been increased by a further £150 million.

“However, getting people into work is the best way to get them out of poverty and there are over 1,000 job vacancies locally for people out of work.”

LANCASTER AND FLEETWOOD MP CAT SMITH

“During a cost-of-living crisis, the Government’s proposals will leave families paying hundreds of pounds more as a result of the breath-taking rise in energy prices. The Government wants to load costs on taxpayers with a buy now, pay later scheme – while Labour will keep bills low with a windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas producers with booming profits.

“The difference in the main political parties is stark; the Conservatives are choosing to give companies loans and land all of the eventual costs with bill payers - whereas Labour would raise the money now through a windfall tax on North Sea oil and gas profits cutting bills now and keeping bills low in the future, with households typically getting £200 off their bills.”

Wyre MP Ben Wallace and Fylde MP Mark Menzies did not respond when asked for comment.

LOCAL MPS CLAIMED £7,576FOR ENERGY BILLS IN 2020/21

MPs are able to claim expenses for their own energy bills under office and accommodation costs.

Locally, Wyre MP Ben Wallace topped the list for the amount of money claimed on energy bills between June 2020 and May 2021, with six claims amounting to £2,654.87 - more than any other MP in the whole North West.

Following this was Fleetwood MP Cat Smith, who made 30 claims amounting to £2,574.98.

Blackpool North and Cleveleys MP Paul Maynard made three claims totalling £1,250.16, Fylde MP Mark Menzies made four claims totalling £586.34, and Blackpool South MP Scott Benton made five claims totalling £509.92.

Mr Maynard said: “Whilst MPs can indeed choose to claim for energy at any accommodation they may have in London, the energy costs claimed for by me relate solely to the constituency office in Bispham. I pay my own energy bills here in London and at home in Blackpool and am seeing the same sharp rises as everyone else. I would hope all MPs did what I do.”

Mr Benton said: “MPs pay their own energy costs on their own private homes. The costs for my main home in Blackpool are met by myself. When we work in London when Parliament is sitting, MPs have taxpayer assistance with accommodation costs which includes energy costs. MPs of all parties claim these costs, as did the previous MP.”

Other big spenders in the North West included Bolton South East MP Yasmin Qureshi, who claimed £2,054, Rossendale and Darwen MP Jake Berry, who claimed £1,329, and Preston MP Mark Hendrick, who claimed £971.

What help is available for those who are struggling?

To help with soaring energy costs, the Government has announced a repayable energy bill discount.

This means that households will receive £200 off their energy bills, which they will pay back at a rate of £40 a year over five years from 2023.

The existing warm home discount scheme, which currently offers a £140 discount to those on certain benefits during the winter months, will be increased to £150 and expanded to include around 3m vulnerable households.

The discounts are given automatically to people on pension credit, but other low-income households must submit an application to their providers. To qualify, you need to receive one of a list of means-tested benefits.

Meanwhile, the council tax rebate will issue a £150 refund to taxpayers in properties falling in bands A to D.

This means that people who qualify for both the repayable energy discount and the council tax rebate will receive £350 worth of assistance this year. Those who meet new qualifying criteria for the warm homes discount will be able to get another £150, to be refunded at the end of next winter, taking the total to £500, £200 of which must be repaid.

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