Stuart Anderson MP has renewed his campaign against the “blatant profiteering” that has led to the “shocking rise” in the cost of heating oil in recent months. He has also launched his 'Energy Costs' survey to collect constituent concerns about the price increases: https://www.stuartanderson.org.uk/survey-energy-costs.
In Parliament, Stuart Anderson MP said:
“The energy support that the Government has put out has penalised my constituency... I need to see that my constituents are going to have support... to see that its not going to mean that they are having to choose between that and food."
Stuart has urged the government to tackle the “two-tier system of energy support” that he says is directly harming residents in rural areas like South Shropshire who rely on alternative sources of fuel like heating oil, electric heating, and liquified petroleum gas (LPG). In South Shropshire, this represents 53% of properties - equating to 24,117 households who are not connected to the mains gas supply. This average rises even higher in more remote areas like Clun, Craven Arms, and Bishop's Castle. These households are not protected by the Energy Price Cap, which specifies the maximum amount that energy suppliers can charge for each unit of energy that is used. This means they are more exposed to sudden fluctuations in the cost of oil.
In a key debate in Parliament on Wednesday 15th April 2026, Stuart said that the burden of extra energy costs represents a “rural penalty”, as residents are charged more for living in remote and sparsely populated areas like South Shropshire that are less connected to the mains gas grid. He described how residents like Paul from Eardington saw their heating oil quote go from 53p per litre to £1.39 per litre when the war in Iran broke out in early March. This represents a rise of more than 150%, which amounts to an increase to an order of £380.
Stuart first raised the cost of heating oil with Ministers in August 2024. After Stuart raised the issue with Ministers again in March 2026, £26 million in support was announced for councils in England to distribute to households via the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF). This follows the Household Support Scheme that closed in March. Shropshire Council, which covers five constituencies and over 53,000 off-grid households, has been allocated around £750,000. However, this equates to just £14.29 per off-grid household, compared to an average of £35 across the country. Stuart said that even this level of support barely touches the sides as residents face an average increase to filling a typical 500-litre tank of £350.
Stuart added it is “outrageous” that Britain has the highest electricity prices in Europe and is supporting the Conservative Party’s plan to remove VAT from household energy bills for three years. Alongside other measures in the Conservatives’ Cheap Power Plan, this would cut bills by £200. The Conservatives would scrap Ed Miliband’s old renewable subsidies, repeal the Climate Act, and axe the Carbon Tax. This includes the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and Carbon Price Support on electricity generation, which pushes wholesale electricity prices up by a third.
