FIONA Bruce MP launched a campaign in Parliament to tackle what she claims is an ‘unfair tariff system’ leaving thousands unable to afford proper heating. 


The MP for Middlewich hosted a meeting in Parliament in December after a report was published by debt counselling organisation Christians Against Poverty (CAP), which stated that 43,000 people are unable to afford proper heating this winter. 


Fiona blamed the tariff system for the figure, saying that it exploits the poorer members of the public. 


She said “One of the reasons that the poorest among us cannot heat their homes adequately is the unfair tariff system – people who pay for their heating on pre-payment meters can be on the highest tariffs charged – much higher than the charges to people who pay by direct debit. 


“This means that the poorest can pay up to £250 more per year for the same heating, which is wrong.


“The campaign which I was pleased to launch in Parliament recently is challenging utility companies too charge the same tariffs to all users and better explain the impact of standard charges which can accrue during summer months, unbeknown to people who pay using pre-payment meters so that when colder weather arrives they find themselves in arrears.”


Fiona has joined CAP in its campaign to get the same tariffs for all, for suppliers to monitor and help families who cannot afford to top up, better explanations of the standard charges to customers, and to ensure people on pre-payment meters get the new smart meters first.


CAP also hopes that the introduction of smart meters in 2020 will bring greater fairness to the market.


Smart meters calculate exactly how much energy is being consumed by the property, allowing energy firms to provide accurate bills rather than estimating the cost.