Bolton: More than 18,000 Bolton families already in fuel poverty as bills soar

The government’s own figures show that around 18,250 households in the borough were already classed as living in fuel poverty and now stand to be pushed even further over the edge as prices climb higher still thanks to the removal of the energy price cap last month.

Campaigners say this demands immediate action but fear that the government is not taking account of their concerns.

Andrea Egan

Bolton Unison branch welfare officer Julie Tudor said: “My electricity bill has shot up by over 100 per cent from £116 to £244 a month for a terraced house and everyone I speak to is struggling.”

She added: “People can’t cope if they need to replace basic items like a fridge or cooker yet we have a Conservative Chancellor Rishi Sunak spending £13,000 a year, heating his new swimming pool.

“This government is completely out of touch.

“We need action to increase pay, boost benefits and reduce household bills.”

The figures show that just over 14 per cent of people in Bolton have been so hard pressed by the cost of energy that after paying their bills they were left with incomes that classed them below the poverty line.

The most recent stats were from 2020 and showed that fuel poverty had risen compared to the previous year.

As such in the years since, campaigners believe this is likely to have risen yet further with the energy price cap having increased by 54 per cent in April.

This means many households across the country can expect to pay around £700 more per year on their bills.

And now protests are set to be staged across the UK to highlight the cost of living crisis.

Unison branch secretary Andrea Egan said: “Inflation hit a 30-year high. It’s not just gas bills or petrol prices that struggling families worry about. According to the Retail Price Index, prices are now increasing at a rate of nine per cent a year. The cost of living crisis affects every part of our lives and pushes more and more people into extreme poverty and hardship.

"That’s why Unison is calling on people to support demonstrations and events across the UK on Saturday 18th June. There will be a national demonstration in London organised by the TUC ending with a rally in Parliament Square. There will be other events across the UK, so everyone doesn’t have to go to London. It’s an important opportunity to tell the government in Westminster that we need more support to help people through this crisis”.

Bolton Conservative leader and council leader Martyn Cox has already authorised a £150 council tax rebate to help people who are struggling, which should have been paid last week.

But he has admitted that if prices continue to rise then “long term” reform of the energy market may be necessary.

National government also says that it is investing £6.6billion in trying to boost energy efficiency in homes across the UK.