Energy Price Hike: Lib Dems set out cost of living rescue package
The Lib Dems have set out a "cost of living rescue plan" that would save thousands of struggling families in Woking nearly £1,000 this year.
It comes after Ofgem announced yesterday a crippling rise to people's heating bills, with the energy price cap set to soar by 54% to £1,971 in April.
Energy bills for homeowners in Woking are forecast to soar by an estimated £627 per household in April, according to analysis by the Lib Dems. Meanwhile, broadband bills are set to rise by 9.3% with inflation at its highest rate in almost thirty years.
The Lib Dems warned that Rishi Sunak's proposals to deal with soaring energy bills will just be "spreading the pain over the coming years" while clobbering local families with tax hikes.
The cost of living rescue package being proposed by the Lib Dems in Woking includes taking £300 off struggling families' heating bills by doubling and expanding the Warm Home Discount, funded through a "Robin Hood" tax on the super profits of oil and gas companies. The party would also scrap the planned National Insurance tax hike being introduced by the Conservatives in April, and ensure low-income families can access cheaper broadband deals.
As many as 1,332 households in Woking would stand to benefit from the full package of support, saving them up to £975 each a year. 30,776 households would save up to £827 thanks to the scrapping of the National Insurance hike and the Stealth Tax on the income tax personal allowance. 1,306 poorer pensioners would receive the expanded Warm Home Discount while 8,376 struggling families would gain access to cheaper broadband deals, helping them cope with the cost of living crisis.
In total, the package represents savings of almost £30 million across Woking for households feeling the pinch.
Lib Dem Spokesperson for Woking, Councillor Will Forster, said:
"Energy bills are going through the roof, forcing families in our community to choose between eating and heating. But all the Tories are doing is clobbering people with an unfair tax hike and spreading the pain over the coming years."
"Woking deserves better than a Conservative MP missing in action, more concerned with their own political career that involves toeing the party line, than helping families struggling to pay the bills."
"The Lib Dems' cost of living rescue plan would wipe up to £1,000 off the bills of over 40,000 struggling families in Woking, by scrapping April's tax hike, offering support to the most vulnerable, and insulating homes to slash energy bills in the long term."
"We are fighting for a fair deal for people in our community who are being let down by a Tory Government and MP that is taking them for granted."