Home energy bills out of control: Freeze the price not the people

Few things make my blood boil more than the cost of energy.

Last week, Centrica, the British Gas parent company, reported annual profits of £3.3 billion pounds in 2022, up from a billion in 2021.

I don’t want to overdramatise this but, as the old, vulnerable and poor struggle to pay their bills, energy companies have blood on their hands.

For many, left out in the cold – quite literally – this system kills people.

For British Gas, a corporate reputation has gone out the window after debt agents broke into customers’ homes to fit prepayment metres and recover outstanding bills.

The question is should companies be allowed to treat their customers this way?

I find it astounding and borderline criminal when even renewable energy companies have the gall to increase charges - when overall their costs are fixed.

Is it acceptable to take money for food and heat from Britain’s poorest and let millions suffer.

Why? For profit of course - for shareholders and to satisfy the market.

I’m sorry but this is not the Britain that I believe in, that we all have a vested interest in.

We are seeing this time and again in a country savaged by profiteering where your needs are trumped by another’s wants.

We need to de-couple energy companies and their aggressive pricing from the god-like power of the markets and shareholder greed.

Our energy, like our land, belongs to the people of this country and should not be used to exploit those least able to protect themselves - purely because this is a system we are told to accept.

My view is we can run our communities via civic trusts with local leaders allocating funds fairly.

That means collective needs are met without shareholder return in mind and that may include running energy off local grids, using sustainable technology - be it wind or solar.

Is it just me or is this really a madness we need to mend before more people die out in the cold this winter?

Centrica have an extra £2 billion in their coffers. Perhaps they can help? #phillipullmann #ukdebtcrisis #homeenergybillsuk #debtproblems #thoughtleader