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‘End the Big 6 Energy Fix' campaign - Brighton

10 February 2012

As you'll see from the news page, I'm part of a coalition that today launched a campaign to tackle the predatory behaviour of big energy companies.

The ‘End the Big 6 Energy Fix' campaign is directly relevant to Brighton, where roughly five thousand households in my constituency alone live in fuel poverty.

Many more people will have experienced a cold home and all the problems this brings.

While this issue affects all ages, people over 65 are especially vulnerable and the Brighton pensioner groups that I met with last autumn were very concerned about fuel bills.

At Pensioner Action and Pensioners Association events people commented further on the confusing nature of price comparison information for different tariffs and different suppliers.

And there's a wider concern: even if individual households do track down a cheaper tariff, this doesn't address more structural issues such as over-charging and excessive profiteering by energy companies.

The industry is out of control and it's time to end the Big 6 Energy fix once and for all.

The campaign is calling on the Government to:

(1) Impose a levy on the Big Six, with funds raised ring-fenced to help people with their energy costs, prioritising those living in fuel poverty, by making homes more energy efficient

(2) Give the regulator new powers to cap prices and eliminate excess profit

(3) Launch an independent public inquiry into the Big Six so that everyone knows the measures needed to create an energy market that serves the people before profit.

To sign the petition or find out more about the campaign see http://bit.ly/zor6kV

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