ACRE and the Rural Services Network

issue joint response to Autumn Budget

We welcome the £100 household energy payment and recognise the help it will provide.

However, council tax bands do not reflect current household income or the ability to afford heating, so some rural households struggling with bills will miss out.

We are very disappointed that the Budget fails to adequately address the pressures on households relying on heating oil and LPG.

Heating oil prices were around 85 per cent higher on 20 October than in late February, leaving families facing hundreds of pounds in additional costs to refill their tanks.

This was not even mentioned during the speech.

Future tariff and market reforms will not help households pay those bills today.

Rural communities need immediate, practical support to keep their homes warm this winter.

Everyone, in every place, deserves access to a warm, affordable home.

The support available should reflect people’s needs, wherever they live and however they heat their home.

Corinne Pluchino
Chief Executive, ACRE

Kerry Booth
Chief Executive, Rural Services Network