I HAVE already raised the cost-of-living crisis in my Coventry Observer column earlier this year, but unsurprisingly this crisis is not going anywhere.
Dozens of constituents from across Coventry North West have been in touch with me recently to raise their anxieties about the rising cost of their energy bills.
The energy price cap is currently set to go up in October and then increase again in January next year.
Current predictions suggest by January 2023 the energy price cap could be over £4,200.
We have all known this hike was coming, and yet the figures are still shocking.
For many in Coventry, energy bills will simply be unaffordable. At the very least some people are going to have to make tough decisions. Many families will have to choose between heating or eating.
I am especially concerned about the impact this will all have on pensioners in Coventry, many of whom simply do not have the savings to pay for exorbitant energy bills.
I find it very frustrating so little action has been taken by the Government to support families and pensioners.
For almost a year now, I have been warning the Government it must step in to support households with the cost-of-living squeeze.
Local businesses are also struggling. Of course increasing energy bills will hit our high streets hard, as businesses struggle to balance the books.
I was saddened to see a local butchers in Earlsdon close down earlier this month – closing in part due to sky-high operating costs.
Smaller, independent businesses desperately need support with the cost-of-living this winter. Otherwise, more of them will be forced to close for good.
Alongside my Labour colleagues in Parliament, I have been calling for extra measures to tackle this crisis all year.
Measures like scrapping VAT on energy bills, insulating Britain’s homes, and freezing the energy price cap would all make a big difference for anyone struggling. But it feels like the Government is always too slow to listen and too slow to act.
Coventry urgently needs support with getting through this cost-of-living crisis and I will continue to do everything I can to demand we get the help and support we deserve.
It’s high time the Government sat up and started listening.
Taiwo Owatemi
Coventry North West MP
