Budget: Horsham Lib Dems and John Milne slam “out of touch” hike in energy bills

Responding to the Spring Budget today, Horsham Lib Dems have condemned the Government's plans to let energy bills rise even higher as “so out of touch they might as well be on a different planet".

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has left the energy cap at £2,500, meaning the typical household energy bill will be double what it was in April 2021. But he also scrapped the £400 discount on bills which all households received last winter and failed to U-turn on plans to slash energy bill support for businesses, leisure centres, schools and hospitals by 85%. That adds up to even higher bills for hard-pressed families.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Chancellor to cut average bills by a further £500 through the Energy Price Guarantee, funded by a windfall tax on the record profits of oil and gas companies. Average bills would drop to £1,971 a year, with the support in place until next April.

The Liberal Democrats are also calling extra targeted support for the least well-off households, including doubling the Warm Homes Discount to £300.

Analysis from the Lib Dems based on official local electricity and gas consumption statistics show that households in the Horsham area would save an average of £353.07 each under the party's plans. This would mean total savings of £20,707,183 for local families.  

Commenting John Milne, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Horsham said: 

“The Conservatives government’s choice to hike energy bills even further will come as a hammer blow to families in Horsham already struggling with soaring mortgages and rents, shopping bills and tax rises.

“These plans will push more families into fuel poverty, while oil and gas companies making record profits are let off the hook.

“The Conservatives are so out of touch they might as well be on a different planet.

“In these tough times, local people deserve a proper plan to tackle this cost-of-living crisis. That means a proper windfall tax, a £500 cut to energy bills and investment in our local health services.”