Star comment: Turning up the heat on Government over energy costs
While people don’t take much notice of politicians, when Martin Lewis intervenes they listen. So if he warns of a fresh crisis as winter looms, we should all sit up and take notice.
The founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, said: “A typical house now pays a once unthinkable, still unaffordable, £2,000 a year for energy - worse, this winter people won’t get the £400 support they did last. The energy market is broken – the limited competition there is hardly impacts what people pay.”
Mr Lewis is right - this is not a trivial matter. He is also right in saying the Government needs to get its finger out and provide families with some reassurance that they will be able to get through the winter without the threat of getting into debt.
Our society has changed since the pandemic, and probably not for the better. We have become poorer as we’ve fallen deep into a cost of living crisis that has eroded standards of living and made life tougher for all.
More have fallen into poverty and the squeezed middle has found itself facing higher bills, with fewer choices.
While Prime Minister Rishi Sunak prevaricates over the future of HS2, Martin Lewis speaks with credibility about the money that we will have - or, more accurately, that we won’t have - this winter.
People are going to be facing tough choices between heating and eating, between keeping going or falling through the cracks. The Government seems unable to make the strategic decisions that force energy companies to work for us, rather than making windfall profits.
Cold and poverty can be a killer when the elderly, vulnerable, and susceptible find themselves up against it.
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Pubs are an integral part of our society and it is heartening to see some thrive. They offer a community base, raise millions for charity, offer warmth and company, bar sports and recreation - and they serve up great ales and hot food too.
Today we highlight just a few of those that have made it to the new Good Beer Guide. While it has been a difficult time for pubs - and many have been lost in recent years - the great British boozer is still an essential party of our society.
We are lucky enough in our region to have some of the best in the UK. They are run by entrepreneurial types who are committed to good standards and supporting the communities that support them.
As the old adage goes, we can use them or lose them.