Rise in home heating oil cost heightens fears of deepening cost of living crisis

A rise in the cost of home heating oil – following several weeks of steady decreases – has heightened fears that the cost-of-living crisis is set to deepen.
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The latest energy cost price hike follows a warning from the NI Consumer Council that prices are currently “volatile”.

Earlier this week, Northern Ireland’s Utility Regulator said that gas tariffs are set to go up yet again — possibly by as much as 30%.

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The average cost of 900 litres of home heating oil has jumped to £740.87, compared to £727.86 at the same time last week — a relatively small increase but the first time the price has gone up rather than down since the middle of June.

The cost of home heating oil has gone up for the first time since the middle of JuneThe cost of home heating oil has gone up for the first time since the middle of June
The cost of home heating oil has gone up for the first time since the middle of June

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson told the News Letter that “the cost of living for people in Northern Ireland is a pressing priority,” and that a “UK-wide programme of supports” will be needed to help people through the winter.

Doug Beattie, the Ulster Unionist leader, has urged the government to commit to making sure a £400 energy payment is paid to households here before December.

The payment has already been approved for the rest of the United Kingdom.

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Mr Beattie said it was vitally important that the two remaining Tory leadership candidates, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak, commit to doing something to “address the ongoing cost of living crisis”.

UUP MLA Andy Allen said some people are already past the “crisis point” and unable to pay for both food and having a warm home.

“Many households are already beyond crisis point, and as each day goes by more and more people are coming to harm.

“Many devolved administrations have been able to bring forward new measures, or are currently developing new measures to provide short, medium and long-term support.

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“In the last five years, we’ve only had an Assembly for two of those years and we were dealing with the pandemic.

“We have poverty strategies yet to be approved by the Executive sitting on a shelf, gathering dust.

“People are already beyond the point of heating or eating – something has to give. We need an Executive back.”

East Belfast DUP MLA David Brooks, however, said: “MLAs telling constituents that if Stormont was fully functioning, they would have thousands more in their pocket, need to stop and add detail to their rhetoric.”

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He added: “The levers of control over energy security and food security lie with our national government in London, not with Stormont.

“That is why the DUP was putting written submissions to the chancellor last March asking for a windfall tax on big energy company profits. That is why the DUP last March was asking the chancellor for tax breaks on solar panels and green taxes.

“Of course the rest of the UK got a tax break on energy but Northern Ireland couldn’t because of the NI Protocol. The chancellor has also committed to making an energy payment in NI the same as the rest of the UK.”

The Consumer Council figures show that 500 litres of oil now sells for an average of £421.84, with 300 litres coming in at £264.34.

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The lowest average price of oil was in the Fermanagh and Omagh council area, where 900 litres would set the average consumer back £731.98.

The most expensive, meanwhile, was Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon council where 900 litres was an average of £750.84.