Isles parliamentarians open energy pricing dialogue

Northern Isles representatives Alistair Carmichael, MP for Orkney and Shetland, and Beatrice Wishart MSP for Shetland,  are asking constituents to get in touch with examples of large energy price increases and difficulties with suppliers.

The parliamentarians are gathering evidence of the situation in Orkney and Shetland to demand action from energy suppliers and government on unfair charges and poor customer service.

The move follows representations from constituents who are frustrated with rising costs over the last few years and comes as recent research from Comparethemarket that found 72 per cent of households across the UK have seen an increase in their energy usage since lockdown began. You can view the research at https://www.comparethemarket.com/news-and-views/millions-can-expect-shock-energy-bill/

Mr Carmichael said: “Too many households in the Northern Isles remain in fuel poverty. The added impact of the pandemic and the economic uncertainty make that chronic challenge all the more acute. It is all the more important then that customers are charged fairly for their energy use and that billing issues are sorted out quickly.

“In these difficult times we all need to play our part in supporting one another.

“Correspondence we have received from constituents, however, shows that some energy suppliers are not necessarily doing what they should to support their customers. We would encourage anyone who has experienced energy issues to contact us so that we can gather evidence of the scale of the problem in the Northern Isles”