Cut the Cost of Living

Published in Stockport Express on Mon 4th Aug 2008

Rising gas and electricity bills, steep increases in basics like bread and rice, higher mortgage payments, and whacking fuel costs are hitting every household in Stockport.

We haven't had inflation like this since the Conservatives were in power, and it certainly is hitting people's personal budgets hard.

Of course there can be no miracle cures - fuel prices are at a record high around the world, and the so-called 'credit crunch' didn't start in Britain either. But Gordon Brown made his reputation when Chancellor as 'Mr Prudence'. So why, despite weekly warnings from the Liberal Democrats' Vince Cable, did he let personal and bank borrowing soar year after year, and watch house prices rocket out of reach of first time buyers?

And why, despite more warnings from me and other Liberal Democrat MPs, did he deliberately block action to reduce people's fuel bills, leaving thousands of Stockport residents facing fuel poverty this autumn and winter? Many will have to make the stark choice between heating their home and eating a good square meal. That comes after ten years of Labour relying on short-term cheap prices by international oil companies rather than investing in improving the homes people live in.

So what should the Government do? It's not good enough for Gordon Brown to "feel your pain". He needs to get to grips with the real world, and start tackling the long term problems.

First step: tackle the greedy energy companies. They've made a minimum of £9,000 million from buying 'dirt cheap' carbon certificates. They were supposed to be used to cut our carbon emissions, not to line shareholders' pockets, and it is time the Government made it happen. Next week will do.

Second step: cut home energy costs - domestic fuel bills are going up faster than petrol prices, and just a fraction of that 'carbon money' from the energy companies spent on extra grants for home insulation would help cut bills, and carbon, too. Make a start on the 5 million homes with no insulation in their cavity walls. Easily done in six months.

Third step: put real money into greener transport so we don't have to do 12,000 miles a year in our cars - that's £2,000 a year on petrol alone now. How about buses and trains that connect? Rush hour trains you can sit down in, and full evening services to the suburbs? Not very British, I know, so let's allow five years.

Gordon has been caught asleep. Now he must wake up and cut the cost of living before it really is too late.

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