Kevin Foster: We must find a way of not getting a shock with electricity and energy prices in future

As the summer ends the thoughts of many will return to the cost of keeping their home warm this winter, with the Energy Bill making progress in Parliament this week.

The fall in the energy price cap next month will provide relief for many, with it being lower than the costs consumers faced last winter after the price surge following Putin’s attack on Ukraine. This reflects falls in wholesale gas prices as the international market has adjusted, yet we must protect households against such price shocks in future.

This means cracking on with increasing our own domestic supply of energy, including new nuclear and onshore wind (where communities support it) and breaking the link between electricity prices for consumers and the wholesale gas price. Doing so will not only help the environment and support consumers, but stop us being reliant on unstable parts of the world for key supplies whilst creating thousands of new jobs across the UK.

Schools

There has been a lot of discussion over the last week about the impact on school buildings of a type of concrete used in construction until the mid -1990s.

Over the last eight years I have worked with local schools to secure funding for improvements and necessary maintenance works. I therefore immediately contacted Ministers to get clarity about whether schools here in our bay were affected. A letter was quickly sent from the Secretary of State stating there are no confirmed cases in my constituency, which covers Torquay and most of Paignton, but one school is having a survey to see if this type of concrete is present in some of its buildings.

Economy

The UK economy made a stronger recovery during Covid at the end of 2021 than previously estimated, according to sharply revised official figures.

Data has now revealed the economy was 0.6 per cent bigger in the final three months of 2021 compared to pre-pandemic levels. This contrasted with the previous figures which said the UK economy was 1.2 per cent smaller. This revision may sound technical, but the projected size of the UK economy is significant in areas such as Government planning in terms of expected revenue and expenditure.

It is a welcome boost and removes the claim the UK was at the bottom of the G7 economies in terms of its recovery from the pandemic.

Ticket Offices

I would like to thank the hundreds of rail users and residents who backed the petition organised by Cllr John Fellows and I opposing the closure of Paignton Station’s Ticket Office.

It is a strong sign of support for a well-used and needed service which sells over 41 per cent of tickets used for journeys from the station.

Surgery Times

My next surgeries are on: Friday 8th September 10am till 12pm at Paignton Library, Great Western Road, Paignton TQ4 5AG and Friday 15th September 10am till 12pm at Torquay Library, Lymington Road, Torquay TQ1 3DT.

Surgeries are for personal queries from residents they would like me to help them with. For an appointment you can either email me at kevin@kevinjfoster.com or leave a message on 01803 214989. There are also drop-in sessions at my office 5-7 East St, Torquay, TQ2 5SD between 10am & 1pm Monday to Friday where a member of my team will be available to help with any queries.