Lee Pitcher

It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mrs Barker. In my constituency, 3,603 households are not on the gas grid, and rely on either heating oil or alternative fuel for their heating. One Belton resident who recently contacted me lives in an older house that is not connected to the mains network. They rely entirely on oil to heat their home. A year ago, it cost £864 plus VAT to fill up their heating oil tank. This year, they were quoted £1,700 plus VAT—almost double. Traditionally, households have tried to manage the costs by filling their tanks in September, when prices are often at their lowest, but prices this high mean that, even with careful planning and budgeting, the money only goes so far. A full tank will last my constituent only till the end of January, before winter is even over, and they will then face another, potentially even higher bill. My constituent said that this is simply impossible to afford on their household income. The price has doubled, but their income has not. They are not protected by the energy price cap. Rather than being able to spread the cost across monthly payments, they have to find thousands of pounds up front to cover the uncapped cost. I welcome the Government’s recognition of the particular challenges facing heating oil customers, including through their recent of announcement of plans to introduce stronger consumer protections. Heating a home is not a luxury; it is a necessity. People should not face additional financial insecurity simply because they live in a rural community without access to the mains gas network. I would welcome the Minister’s thoughts on how we can ensure that households across Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, including the one I just mentioned in Belton, will benefit from the proposed improvements to consumer protections, particularly when it comes to managing the substantial up-front cost of heating oil.