New analysis has found West of England households are on the hook for £2,600 more in power bills in five years under the Tories than they paid under the 13 years of the last Labour government.
The Conservative government’s failures on the economy are forcing families in the West, and across the whole country, to spend £10,000 on energy bills over the course of the current five-year Parliamentary term, the analysis from Labour found.
The amount spent on gas and electricity bills in the period was almost £3,000 more than over three terms of the Labour government of 1997 to 2010 – when costs over 13 years totalled £7,400 per household.
Mr Norris pointed to ministers’ failure to invest in renewables, properly regulate the energy market among other blunders which left Britain exposed to the energy crisis caused by Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine as he laid the blame for rising bills firmly at the Government’s door.
He said he was doing all he can to offer support to residents manage their bills and stay warm this winter, including investing in emergency support to keep vital energy advice services running this winter. Mr Norris has also brought forward additional funding – including a recent £5 million cash injection – to get on with retrofitting homes across the region.
Metro Mayor Dan Norris said: “Do residents have a spare £10,000 during this cost-of-living crisis? Of course, they don’t. But I’m afraid this is the tip of the iceberg after thirteen long years of economic mismanagement by the Conservatives. I’m doing all I can at a regional level to help people manage their bills long term through my retrofitting programme, and other important measures. But we need a government that recognises the strains our region is facing and that has a serious plan to get our economy growing again – powered by the talent and effort of working people. West of England residents deserve so much better than higher bills, plummeting living standards, dismal growth and crumbling public services”.