Energy price hike will plunge families further into poverty
A forecast increase in energy costs in April will have a devastating impact on household bills and plunge families across Scotland and beyond into destitution and poverty, say the Scottish Greens.
This follows the announcement that although Ofgem’s energy price cap is falling, the loss of government support means that bills are likely to shoot up in April. Energy consultancy Cornwall Insights has said that bills are likely to increase by £500 a year.
The Scottish Greens energy spokesperson, Mark Ruskell MSP said:
“The last round of energy price hikes had a devastating impact, forcing people across the country to choose between freezing and starving.
“After a long cold winter, and at a time when costs are rising and inflation is biting, the last thing anyone needs is even higher bills, especially at a time when wholesale energy prices are falling.
“There can be no doubt about the impact this will have. If prices rise again then it will force even more people into destitution and poverty.
“Amidst the misery, many of the oil and gas giants are celebrating record profits. Those obscene profits are being paid for by the suffering of millions of households.
“It’s time to close the loopholes that have been built into the windfall tax and use it to lower bills and invest in the green technology that we badly need to cut costs and our emissions.”
