Cost of Living Emergency motion

On 1 April 2022, Ofgem increased the energy price cap by 54 per cent


This Council notes that: 

  • On 1 April 2022, Ofgem increased the energy price cap by 54 per cent
  • In light of the increased energy price cap, the average standard tariff energy bill will increase by £693 per year. The average pre-pay meter energy bill will increase by £708 per year (Ofgem, 2022)
  • On 6 April 2022, the Government increased National Insurance by 1.25 percentage points, which is projected to cost the average Eastbourne family an additional £108 per year
  • The Government has suspended the pensions ‘triple lock’ for 2022/3, meaning that Eastbourne’s 25,806 pensioners will see a rise of 3.1 per cent this year (instead of 8.3 per cent under the triple lock formula). This year, this will cost an Eastbournian on the full new state pension an average of £487, and an Eastbournian on the full basic state pension and average of £373 (TUC, 2022)
  • In 2021/22 Eastbourne Foodbank distributed food parcels at a rate of 17,440 per 100,000 people, the highest rate in the country (Trussell Trust, 2022)

This Council therefore declares a ‘Cost of Living Emergency’ and calls on the Government to:

  • Immediately impose a ‘Windfall Tax’ on the super profits of oil and gas companies and use this to take an average of £600 off Eastbournians’ energy bills this year
  • Immediately reduce the standard rate of VAT from 20 per cent to 17.5 per cent for one year, saving the average Eastbourne household a further £600 this year
  • Immediately re-introduce the pensions triple lock to support Eastbourne’s pensioners.