Stuart Anderson MP has stepped up his campaign to secure support for residents in South Shropshire affected by the spike in energy costs, including off-grid households.
On Tuesday 24th March 2026, Stuart urged Energy Ministers to “seriously address” the “blatant profiteering” behind the recent hikes in energy prices, which have seen the cost of heating oil double since the outbreak of the conflict in the Iran and wider region.
- 1.7 million households in Britain rely on heating oil. This includes 24,117 properties in South Shropshire, which represents over half of all households in the constituency.
- Many of these households are in rural areas, with elderly and vulnerable residents.
- Average annual household energy bills are also predicted to rise by £332 in July.
In Parliament, Stuart Anderson MP said:
“Over half of South Shropshire residents rely on heating oil or other solutions, such as liquified petroleum gas, to heat their homes. The recent Government support does very little for the majority of my constituents, and the best price today for heating oil is more than double what it was five weeks ago. There is blatant profiteering. What are the Government going to do to seriously address the issue?”
In his response to Stuart’s question, the Minister mentioned a top-up is being provided to the Crisis and Resilience Fund, which Stuart helped to secure following the end of the Household Support Fund that ends on 31st March 2026. The scheme has invested more than £21 million to help vulnerable households in Shropshire with the cost of essentials like utility bills.
Energy Minister Martin McCluskey replied:
“We moved swiftly to introduce funding to support people. The £53 million-worth of support, which is being disbursed through the Crisis and Resilience Fund in England and Wales, will provide support for people through this immediate period. We will keep other measures under review…”
A letter published on 24th March 2026 confirms allocations for the Crisis and Resilience Fund Top Up, which Ministers have said is to support “vulnerable people facing immediate financial hardship because of the increase in heating oil prices, with the risk of losing immediate access to heating or hot water.” However, Stuart has said that analysis of the funding allocation falls short of what is required to fully address the impact of the situation.
Shropshire Council, which covers five constituencies with 53,080 off-grid households, has been allocated £758,558. However, this equates to just £14.29 per household compared to an average of £35 across the country. The national average is just a tenth of the £350 additional cost faced by those who need to fill a typical 500-litre tank after prices doubled. Government guidance directs councils to target the funding to “households in crisis”, meaning thousands of affected households will still be left without support after this.
The government also claims to have taken £150 off energy bills. However, Stuart has said the measure is a sleight of hand as it involves temporarily paying 75 per cent of the Renewable Obligation Levy through general taxation, rather than energy bills. Stuart has said that this is a £7 billion bailout to multi-million-pound energy companies, which is funded by the taxpayer. As the temporary cut only applies to households, Stuart has added that the measure does nothing to reduce costs for businesses in South Shropshire including cafes, pubs, restaurants, and small manufacturers. In contrast, the Conservatives would abolish the scheme and axe the Carbon Tax, which would cut average household electricity bills by £165.
Earlier in March, Stuart also wrote to the Chief Executive of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to demand an urgent investigation into unlawful practices and breaches of contract in the sale of heating oil, which are leaving families facing bills that are twice as high as they expected. In a response published on 14th March 2026, the CMA confirmed that it is looking into cases where existing orders have been cancelled only to be followed by more expensive offers and expensive automated deliveries have been trigged by tank monitors. It also confirmed that it “will not hesitate to take enforcement action if potential breaches are identified.”
Shropshire Off Grid Households
South Shropshire: 24,117
North Shropshire: 15,073
Wrekin: 6,490
Telford: 674
Shrewsbury: 6,726
Total: 53,080
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69c2a679a661abbaa1cf9dcf…
