Parliament is facing more protests – this time over our rip-off energy bills

Parliament will be the scene of yet more protests – after chronically ill and disabled people blocked a major road in the area over benefit cuts and deaths. This time, the focus is fuel poverty, energy companies profiteering, and the Tory government’s failure to act.

Fuel Poverty Action demanding #EnergyForAll

On Wednesday 6 March campaign group Fuel Poverty Action is joining the national Unite 4 Energy For All‘s day of action. This is alongside not only Unite Community but groups representing pensioners, tenants, health workers, chronically ill and disabled people, and more:

#ColdHomesKill#HighBillsLowIncome

Please support
Wednesday 6th March 2024
12 noon
Assemble College Green Nr Parliament London SW1P 3SE pic.twitter.com/tE8qJs6dvi

— Bromley and Croydon Unite Community (@and_unite) March 5, 2024

After supporting @Dis_PPL_Protest today, we'll next be out on the ground THIS WEDNESDAY 6 March supporting @FuelPovAction national day of action to coincide with #SpringBudget. #ColdHomesKill – so come to parliament – College Green SW1P 3SE – for 12pm. See you there #EnergyForAll pic.twitter.com/DfSaeE0Nmo

— @TheChronicCollaboration (@TheChronicColab) March 4, 2024

The National Pensioners’ Convention says Ofgem’s lower price cap on energy bills from 1st April is ‘too little too late’ to help the millions struggling to pay.https://t.co/q03DKwKoJJ#ColdHomesKill #EnergyForAll #WinterDeaths

— The NPC (@NPCUK) March 1, 2024

The actions are in support of the Energy For All campaign. Launched by Fuel Poverty Action in 2022, it demands that every household is guaranteed enough energy for safe and adequate levels of heating, lighting, cooking as well as protecting additional needs like medical and mobility aids. It would be paid for by ending fossil fuel subsidies, redistributing energy company profits, and higher tariffs on household energy use beyond necessities.

Fuel Poverty Action said:

With the final budget before an election, we’re fed up of being punished with low incomes and high bills!

#ColdHomesKill so we’re demanding the next government end deaths from fuel poverty by delivering the demands of our #EnergyForAll Manifesto along with democratic control of our energy system.

The group has also signed an open letter calling on the government to act:

Fuel Poverty Action has signed this letter ahead of our Budget Day events highlighting the energy squeeze and calling for #EnergyForAll
Why not join us? List of local events: https://t.co/IdVj00shph https://t.co/tgEYwrGL8h

— Fuel Poverty Action (@FuelPovAction) March 4, 2024

Parliament protest and across the UK

So, protests and actions are happening around the UK as follows:

• Barnsley – Meet 12pm at Tower Centre Precinct near Coffee Boy.
• Birmingham – Meet 12pm New Street Station.
• Bristol – Meet 11.30am at Tony Benn House, Victoria St, BS1 6AY.
• Exeter – Meet 1pm at Exeter Central Train Station.
• Glasgow (8th March) – Meet 12pm at The Platform Cafe, Easterhouse.
• Halifax – Meet 12pm at Southgate, above Market.
• Ipswich – Meet 11am outside Boots, Tavern Street.
• Leeds – Meet 11.30am outside Leeds Bus Station (John Lewis End).
• Manchester – Meet 1pm outside Boots, Market Street.
• Newcastle – Meet 11am at Grey’s Monument.
• Newport – Meet 12pm John Frost Square outside Kingsway Centre, NP20 1ED.
• Portsmouth – Meet 12pm outside Civic Offices.
• Sheffield – Meet 12pm outside the Moor Market.
• Southampton – Meet 11am outside Poundland, Above Bar Shopping Precinct.
• Swansea – Meet 11am outside Quadrant Shopping Centre.

The national protest will be focused on parliament. People can join it at 12pm on 6 March, opposite parliament on College Green.

Stuart Bretherton, Fuel Poverty Action’s Energy For All campaign coordinator, previously told the Canary:

Last winter [2022/23] energy bills were at the forefront of headlines and people’s minds. But while the news cycle has moved on, energy bills are still double what we paid two years ago and over 5 million households were in energy debt before this winter even began. We’re not accepting mass poverty as the new norm. The UK Government is passing the buck when there’s concrete policies they can adopt today to reduce poverty and save lives, so direct action is the obvious step for us to push them to do so.

Spring may be on the way, but the effects of fuel poverty during winter can be long term – or even deadly. Moreover, energy companies and the government working hand-in-hand to rip us off is a year-round issue. So, if you can please join a Fuel Poverty Action protest near you – because cold homes do literally kill.

Featured image via