Halifax residents react to Ofgem’s October energy price cap rise as Unite the Union campaigns in the town centre

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Halifax residents have voiced their concerns over Ofgem’s energy price cap rise this October as Unite the Union campaigns in the town centre.

The concerns came alongside Unite the Union’s Unite4Energy for All campaign in Halifax town centre on October 1 (Monday), with members campaigning for energy price guarantees and public ownership.

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Roger O’Doherty, political officer for the Unite Halifax and Calder Valley community branch, said the energy price cap rise is “going to have a massive impact on the most disadvantaged in our communities.

"If you look back two or three years the scale of the increase in the energy costs for people has been really quite substantial. And that’s even more so for pensioners now who are losing the winter fuel allowance this winter.”

(Left to right) Andy Makin, Tony Shaw, Rosemary Hedges, Roger O'Doherty, Finn Jensen, Dave Vincent and Jane Rendle. Unite the Union were campaigning in Halifax town centre on October 1 calling for energy price guarantees and public ownership.(Left to right) Andy Makin, Tony Shaw, Rosemary Hedges, Roger O'Doherty, Finn Jensen, Dave Vincent and Jane Rendle. Unite the Union were campaigning in Halifax town centre on October 1 calling for energy price guarantees and public ownership.
(Left to right) Andy Makin, Tony Shaw, Rosemary Hedges, Roger O'Doherty, Finn Jensen, Dave Vincent and Jane Rendle. Unite the Union were campaigning in Halifax town centre on October 1 calling for energy price guarantees and public ownership.

The campaign coincided with the day Ofgem’s energy price cap rise came into effect, which increased how much companies can charge for gas and electricity over the winter period.

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Roger said the union were calling for energy companies to “freeze profits rather than freezing pensioners”, adding that more pensioners would be at risk of dying this winter, owing to the energy price cap increase and changes to the winter fuel allowance scheme.

“We should not have a situation where people are having to turn the heating off because they can’t afford it [...] where they’re choosing between heating and eating,” he added.

Ofgem’s new energy price cap level came into effect on October 1, with an increase of about 10 per cent – or around £12 a month – for an average bill of a typical household using gas and electricity.

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Kelly, from Halifax, said: “Increasing these bills and stuff, how is that helping the people when they’re so vulnerable?

“This isn’t helping the housing crisis, this isn’t helping the homelessness; there’s so many aspects around increasing the energy bills which isn’t good.”

Joanne Mallinson, also from Halifax, said: “It’s just terrible for ordinary people [...] you’re better off at work, because if you’re at home you’re cold, you can’t afford to put your heating on.

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"I’ve gone to bed in the afternoon just because you can’t afford to put your heating on. It’s just absolutely disgusting to do that to ordinary working people.”

“[The government] need to help and understand how ordinary people have to live.

"You might have a house, but it’s not a home anymore because [...] you’ve no warmth, you’ve no comfort in your own home, and people have got damp problems and it’s all because they can’t afford to put their heating [on], and it’s just disgusting how people have to live nowadays.”

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Speaking about the government’s recent decision to make cuts to the winter fuel payment scheme, Joanne added: “Because they’re just a bit above the benefits doesn’t mean to say that people don’t need help because they do – everyone’s struggling and it’s just a shame for working people.”

Ofgem’s price cap levels are reviewed every three months, with levels for January 1 to March 31, 2025 due to be published by November 25.

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