Insulating the West of England against the cost-of-living crisis

These are not ordinary times. As confirmed by Ofgem last week, energy bills that not so very long ago averaged under £1,200 will hit £3,549 next month. When it comes to the energy crisis, we’ve officially hit DEFCON 1.

Looking ahead to the colder months is genuinely frightening. I’ve met pensioners who have no idea how they will heat their homes. Mums who say they need to skip meals so their children can eat.

But the truth is many West of Englanders - young and old alike - will not have a dilemma about whether to turn the heating on this winter; they will not have the choice.

Without urgent action households across North East Somerset face a Christmas period of fear and misery. Research shows 55% of all West of Englanders will be plunged into fuel poverty come December as energy bills soar. Yes, you read that correctly.

The Government has to do something. Anything sensible will do. It is beyond urgent now. We have a prime minister in office by name only - while neither of our would-be PMs have a plan that comes remotely close to meeting the sheer scale of this crisis.

My colleagues in the Shadow Cabinet team and in Parliament thankfully have a workable plan for this deeply concerning crisis.

We would stop energy prices rising this winter by freezing the price cap, saving the average household around £1,000. We would pay for this by taxing the obscene profits of the energy giants. That’s the right thing to do. This £29 billion plan is good for the West of England, and good for the country.

But we need to solve the energy crisis for good.

That’s why the West of England Combined Authority under my leadership is getting on with retrofitting. With net zero calling and energy bills soaring like never before, thousands of heat leaky homes across our region are crying out for upgrades right now.

That’s why my priority since I was elected last May is to breathe new life into our aging and inefficient housing stock. As wonderful as they are, white lias stone cottages across North East Somerset, and other older buildings, were not built with a climate emergency in mind!

We’re getting on with the job, offering advice and support for people who want to insulate their homes, and crucially upskilling tradespeople on how to retrofit homes. That could slash the average family bill by £1,000 a year - an amount that could have made a huge difference this winter.

When it comes to the energy bills crisis - as with so much else - the Government appear to be asleep at the wheel. Shielding people from ruinous rises this winter should be a given, and I assure you I’ll be making this point clearly to the ministers I meet as your Metro Mayor. But people should also know that with the actions the Combined Authority is taking on insulation, the West of England is rising to the challenge.