Perthshire politicians call for vulnerable residents to get support as gas prices soar

dailyrecord.co.uk:

As gas prices soar to an all-time high Perthshire politicians are calling for vulnerable citizens to get support. Last week independent energy regulator Ofgem announced a 54 per cent energy price cap increase on April 1 with some household energy bills set to rise by around £700 a year.A local MP has written to the UK's business secretary urging action while a Perth councillor is encouraging those eligible to apply for the Home Heating Support Fund.The increase will affect approximately 22 million UK customers.An Ofgem statement said: "Those on default tariffs paying by direct debit will see an increase of £693 from £1277 to £1971 per year (difference due to rounding).

Prepayment customers will see an increase of £708 from £1309 to £2017."Ofgem said the massive hike was due to an "unprecedented" rise in global gas prices over the last six months.

Wholesale gas prices are said to have quadrupled in the last year.Ofgem's chief executive Jonathan Brearley said: "We know this rise will be extremely worrying for many people, especially those who are struggling to make ends meet, and Ofgem will ensure energy companies support their customers in any way they can."The energy market has faced a huge challenge due to the unprecedented increase in global gas prices, a once in a 30-year event, and Ofgem’s role as energy regulator is to ensure that, under the price cap, energy companies can only charge a fair price based on the true cost of supplying electricity and gas."Ofgem is working to stabilise the market and over the longer term to diversify our sources of energy which will help protect customers from similar price shocks in the future." Ochil and South Perthshire MP John Nicolson has written to Kwasi Kwarteng - the secretary