Council tax, energy and water are just a few of the increased bills that are descending on households from this month.
The beginning of April often comes with connotations of new flowers blooming in parks and the sun granting us more time in the sky. However, this year the month is also coupled with a hefty increase in household bills – an addition that is far from welcome.
To give context, the latest energy price cap rise has increased by 6.4% and now totals £1,849 for an average dual-fuel household. What’s more, water bills for households in England and Wales are rising by an average of £10 a month, with the annual Thames Water bill rising by 31% to £639.
If this wasn’t enough, council tax, TV licenses, car tax, stamps and broadband have all also increased in cost.
In a bid to take a stand against the price hikes, Unite, the UK’s leading union, is continuing its Unite Energy 4 All campaign, which was originally established in 2023, to demand nobody should choose between heating or eating. From the 1st April, members of the group will be travelling to 40 locations across the UK and staging protests.
‘It’s time to end the chaos in our energy network, which allows profiteers to flourish while workers and communities are left in the cold,’ Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary said. ‘No one should ever have to choose between heating and eating. We believe it is time for public ownership and for fuel poverty to be consigned to the dustbin of history.’
Simon Coop, Unite’s national officer for energy & utilities added: ‘Ofgem have failed to protect customers. For too long they have sided with the profiteering energy companies over the most valuable in our country and we stand in full support of the campaign against fuel poverty and for public ownership of our energy sector.’
With an aim to helping as many people as possible, Unite is likewise running the Defend the Winter Fuel Allowance campaign, which demands the Government reinstates the Winter Fuel Payment and is calling for the introduction of a wealth tax to pay for it.’
Further information about the rallies, including where to find them on certain dates, can be accessed here.
Photo by Pixabay
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