A response from Sir Peter Bottomley MP:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the issue of the cost of living. Your concerns are understandable, and I assure you that I am committed to working towards finding solutions to help ease the burden on the families and individuals.
I have been working with my colleagues in government to review policies and programs to better address this issue for some time. For example, the government has implemented policies to increase the minimum wage, provide tax relief for low-income earners, and increase support for those on benefits.
Further work that the government undertook to help with the cost of living included the Warm Home Discount Scheme, which provides support to low-income and vulnerable households with their energy bills, and the Winter Fuel Payment, which provides financial assistance to help older people stay warm during the winter months. These important schemes came alongside the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG), which applied until 30th of June 2023 and discounted the unit cost for gas and electricity use. The Government have published details of who will continue to receive the Energy Price Guarantee discount as of 1 July 2023: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/energy-bills-support/energy-bills-support-factsheet-8-september-2022
Other Government support in the past year has included:
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£400 off energy bills for all households
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£650 payments for households receiving means-tested benefits.
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Pensioner households will get an additional £300, and people receiving disability payments an additional £150
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a £150 council tax rebate for households in council tax band A to D
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a 5p cut to fuel duty
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an increase to the amount someone can earn before National Insurance Contributions (NICs) are charged
I will continue to work with my colleagues in government to ensure that the policies and programs we put in place are effective in addressing the challenges faced by those in our community.
It is my view that positive routes forward in addressing further strains on the cost of living can be found without industrial action.
The Independent Pay Review Body recently recommended pay increases of 5-7% for public sector jobs, the Government has accepted this recommendation and made this offer to end industrial action. These are fiscally responsible measures in line with their private sector counterparts.
It is my hope that the unions, the workers which they represent, and the Government can come together in this time of financial difficulty for all.
I would be happy to discuss this matter with you further if you have specific concerns or ideas.
Thank you again for bringing this matter to my attention.