Short and long term fixes needed for energy price hike

Northumberland Labour supports the need to tackle the current energy hike crisis but it says, along with this, long term solutions are needed.

Alex Wallace said: “We’re totally behind the labour leadership when they say we need to tackle the current energy hike crisis and we agree that a windfall tax on the energy companies could be used, as it has been in previous governments, to raise the money needed to protect families and vulnerable people form the worst of the price hikes.

“But we all know the best thing would behave homes which are properly insulated to cut the energy needed to heat them. A lot of wasted heat is going straight through the roof which isn’t good for people’s purses or the environment. We’re still waiting for this council administration to build homes that people can afford.

“Yes, we need to tackle the here and now, but we also need to focus on energy efficiency in the medium and long term. The climate emergency is happening now and many people are living in poorly insulated or sub-standard homes.

Brian Gallacher said: “The Labour group is holding our Tory council to account on this. We want to work together to build green, clean warm homes for Northumberland residents and set up a retrofitting service to make existing homes fit for purpose. It will be money well spent. We all deserve to live in a comfortable home.”