bills

Almost half of Britons are worried about paying their energy bills

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/almost-half-britons-are-worried-about-paying-their-energy-bills

An online energy bill

ALMOST half of Britons are worried they won’t be able to pay their energy bills as inflation is projected to rise following the US-Israeli war on Iran, according to a survey published today.

The research by debt charity StepChange found that 24 million people (45 per cent) said they were concerned about increasing energy costs, up from 29 per cent when they were last asked in January.

A further 14 million (28 per cent) of adults in England and Wales were specifically worried about their ability to afford water bills.

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StepChange chief executive Vikki Brownridge said: “Making ends meet is getting harder — household essentials like energy and water are becoming increasingly unaffordable and are driving problem debt at alarming rates.

“Where people once commonly came to us after a life shock and emergency borrowing, more often we have clients telling us they simply cannot afford the cost of living as cumulative rises and historic arrears cripple budgets.”

Their report used data from 153,829 clients who completed online or telephone debt advice in 2025, with a further online survey of 257 clients.

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/almost-half-britons-are-worried-about-paying-their-energy-bills

Keir Starmer explains that he feels no shame or guilt benefitting personally from gifts from the rich and powerful while insisting on policies of severe austerity causing suffering and death.
Keir Starmer explains that he feels no shame or guilt benefitting personally from gifts from the rich and powerful while insisting on policies of severe austerity causing suffering and death.
Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership is intensely relaxed about assaulting those least able to defend themselves - the very poorest and most vulnerable.
Keir Starmer says that the Labour Party under his leadership is intensely relaxed about assaulting those least able to defend themselves – the very poorest and most vulnerable.
Continue ReadingAlmost half of Britons are worried about paying their energy bills

Water privatisers ‘treating system as an ATM,’ campaigners say as bills set to hike

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/water-privatisers-treating-system-atm-campaigners-say-bills-set-hike

 People collect bottled water at a water station in East Grinstead, after South East Water blamed bad weather for more water outages in Kent and parts of Sussex, January 13, 2026.

WATER privatisers are treating the system as an ATM, campaigners said today as South East Water (SEW) confirmed bills will rise to an average of £324 a year from April.

The increase comes as the company faces an Ofwat investigation after thousands of homes and businesses were left without water in recent weeks.

About 30,000 properties across Kent and Sussex were affected earlier this month, which SEW blamed on Storm Goretti causing burst pipes and power cuts. 

This followed a similar incident in December, when 24,000 customers in Tunbridge Wells were left without drinking water for up to two weeks.

Ofwat is also investigating whether SEW breached customer service obligations, marking its first probe under the regulator’s customer-focused licence condition.

If breaches are confirmed, the company could be placed into special administration.

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Article continues at https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/water-privatisers-treating-system-atm-campaigners-say-bills-set-hike

Image of a burst water main.
Image of a burst water main.
Continue ReadingWater privatisers ‘treating system as an ATM,’ campaigners say as bills set to hike

Chancellor Reeves’s speech disrupted over Drax subsidies

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https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/chancellor-reeves-speech-disrupted-over-drax-subsidies

A climate activist interrupts Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s keynote speech at the Yorkshire Labour Party Conference in protest against new subsidies for Drax Power Station, March 1, 2025

CLIMATE activists disrupted Rachel Reeves’s speech to the Yorkshire Labour Party Conference on Saturday, condemning new subsidies for the tree-burning Drax power station.

As the Chancellor spoke, the two protesters stood up and condemned the environmental damage caused by Drax, which claims to be sustainable, allowing it to receive billions of pounds in green subsidies, but remains Britain’s biggest carbon emitter.

A BBC investigation previously exposed Drax for sourcing wood from rare forests, yet Labour has extended its subsidies until at least 2031 — costing taxpayers an estimated £2 billion.

Rosie, of campaigner group Axe Drax, said: “Labour has once again shown that they are on the side of the lobbyists, choosing to hand billions … to Drax, which has just announced over £1bn in earnings, while slashing winter fuel payments and presiding over yet another energy bill price hike.

“Rather than funding Drax’s shareholders profits, we desperately need investment in real green energy and climate action that will bring down emissions and bills — like home insulation.”

The disruption led to Ms Reeves pausing her speech while the protesters were ejected by security staff.

https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/chancellor-reeves-speech-disrupted-over-drax-subsidies

Keir Starmer says pensioners can freeze to death and poor children can starve and be condemned to failure and misery all their lives.
Keir Starmer says pensioners can freeze to death and poor children can starve and be condemned to failure and misery all their lives.
Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels.
Orcas comment on killer apes destroying the planet by continuing to burn fossil fuels.
Continue ReadingChancellor Reeves’s speech disrupted over Drax subsidies

Food bank charity launches General Election Manifesto, setting out actions for the next government to eliminate poverty

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https://leftfootforward.org/2024/05/food-bank-charity-launches-general-election-manifesto-setting-out-actions-for-the-next-government-to-eliminate-poverty/

‘It is not right that anyone should need to use a food bank because they can’t afford to eat and pay bills. However, food bank need is at an historic high.’

On May 15, the Trussell Trust, the UK’s largest food bank charity and a leading voice on poverty and hunger, released its annual figures. In the last year, 3.1 million food parcels were distributed by their network, the most parcels the network has ever distributed in a single year. It is also a 94 percent increase in the total number of parcels distributed compared to five years ago.

Facing historic food bank need in 2024, the charity says this long-term pattern needs to change and is urging for urgent reform to Britain’s social security system. 

In its General Election Manifesto, the Trussell Trust is calling on all political parties to commit to building a future where no one needs a food bank to survive. The charity asks for an Essential Guarantee into Universal credit to be introduced, that would protect people from going without essentials, such as food and bills. They urge for debt deductions from social security payments to be more affordable, and for there to be a long-term strategy and funding for local crisis support.

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https://leftfootforward.org/2024/05/food-bank-charity-launches-general-election-manifesto-setting-out-actions-for-the-next-government-to-eliminate-poverty/

Continue ReadingFood bank charity launches General Election Manifesto, setting out actions for the next government to eliminate poverty

Thames Water lobbying government to let it increase bills by 40%

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Image of a burst water main.
Image of a burst water main.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/feb/28/thames-water-lobbying-government-bills-dividends-fines-breaches-taxpayer-bailout

UK’s largest water company also calls for dividend payouts and lower fines for breaches to avoid taxpayer bailout

Thames Water has been lobbying the government and regulators to let it increase bills by 40%, pay lower fines for breaches and keep paying out dividends as part of efforts to avert a taxpayer bailout, according to a report.

The UK’s largest water company was trying to strike a deal with the watchdog Ofwat that would give it permission to charge customers more to avoid having to be taken over by court-appointed special administrators, the Financial Times reported.

That plan would give Thames Water permission to increase bills by 40% by 2030, while also offering more leniency around regulator fines and rules around the dividends it can pay to shareholders.

It comes as the company, which serves more than 15m households, attempts to deal with a debt pile of £14bn and widespread criticism over sewage dumping.

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https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/feb/28/thames-water-lobbying-government-bills-dividends-fines-breaches-taxpayer-bailout

Continue ReadingThames Water lobbying government to let it increase bills by 40%