Coupled with recent inflation and interest rate rises, there is no doubt that the announced Ofgem energy price cap increase will devastate many lives.
Millions of households across the UK will be asked to pay close to £700 extra per year from April as bills jump up by 54%. Scotland will see at least a £990 increase on average compared to April 2021 and our rural communities in the north and north-east will be far worse affected.
It will simply not be possible for countless families to tighten the belt and bear it when they are asked to produce upwards of £1,000 from thin air.
An enormous number of citizens will be pushed over the poverty line by this change.
And, forced to choose between heating and eating, some will make the decision to switch off the boiler and live in dangerously cold conditions, risking their physical and mental health.
Is a £150 rebate enough?
The warm respite of the office is no longer an option for those now permanently working from home. Nor are some public indoor spaces, still closed after lockdown.
Clearly, something has got to give.
Both governments must do all they can to combat the cost of living crisis they are partially responsible for
The £150 council tax rebate announced for England has eased some worries south of the border, but is it enough?
Nicola Sturgeon has not committed to the same scheme, though promised that “every single penny” of Scotland’s UK Treasury £290 million lump sum will go towards helping struggling Scots.
With the imminent National Insurance increase looming, both governments must do all they can to combat the cost of living crisis they are partially responsible for.
The Voice of the North is The Press & Journal’s editorial stance on what we think is the most important story of the day
