Wansbeck MP

Ian Lavery column: 'I'm on side of the consumer over rising energy bills'

Posted by The Journal on Jun 22, 11 11:00 AM in Wansbeck MP

Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery's weekly column from the Ashington & Morpeth Extra newspaper

People in Wansbeck are going to be hit by huge, unfair bills for heating and electricity this summer, unless something is done to bring the out-of-control energy companies to heel.

Following Scottish Power's unfair decision to hike bills by a fifth, I am backing Labour's calls for tough action to ensure fair prices, and increased transparency over the way bills are calculated. I am firmly on the side of the consumer on this - people in Wansbeck are already being squeezed by the global downturn, and the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government cuts to jobs and services.

Research published last week has shown that the North East jobs market could be one of the last areas of the UK economy to recover from the recession and coalition government cuts. New unemployment figures published this week show that there are almost 2,700 unemployed claimants in Wansbeck. What we need from this coalition government are job opportunities for local people, but instead they are going down the path of destroying public sector jobs, which will further reduce the number of constituents in employment and result in fewer employment opportunities for local people.

I am extremely concerned about the ongoing situation with Southern Cross and have had a number of meetings in the last two weeks on this issue. I also questioned the minister on the floor of the House of Commons. Southern Cross has several homes in the Wansbeck constituency providing accommodation for over 300 constituents, and in addition some 300 local people are employed in those homes. It is an absolute disgrace that the current situation has been allowed to develop. Residents and staff need support and assurances about the future. I have written to the secretary of state demanding a public enquiry into the financial actions of Southern Cross from 2006 to date. I firmly believe the social care of elderly and vulnerable residents should be the responsibility of government and the UK taxpayer.

Surely we have a responsibility to provide quality care for those elderly and vulnerable members of our communities who require it.

One million people across the UK could be risking their health and experiencing emotional distress by keeping their diabetes a secret. I support the Diabetes UK campaign which has been highlighting the importance of talking about diabetes to educate, inform and ensure that no-one has to deal with this condition in isolation.

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