ENERGY MARCH INTERVIEW

Unite Community, a branch of Unite the Union, is running a campaign called Energy for All. They are concerned about high energy costs and the number of people struggling to pay their bills. They want the government to provide free energy for essentials and introduce an insulation scheme. They also want to stop forced prepayment and energy disconnections for debt. They advocate for public ownership of energy and the use of renewable sources. They are collecting postcards to be submitted to Rishi Sunak in April. In Leeds and Bradford, there are six constituencies where households are in fuel poverty, with nearly half in Leeds Central. They are lobbying MPs and plan to deliver the cards to Downing Street. We're from Unite Community, which is the community wing of Unite the Union, who are undertaking this campaign on Energy for All. Unite for Energy for All is its official name. And we're very concerned about the high energy costs that kicked in not so long ago and are still there, and the number of people that are really struggling to pay their fuel bills. We're also particularly concerned about the high number of winter deaths due to cold homes. If you look at an organisation like National Energy Action, for instance, they estimate that 45 people a day die during the winter months from cold homes. So what we're trying to do is get the government to introduce a basic level of service of energy for people, so that would be free for essentials. Maybe you could pay more if it was unnecessary or superfluous energy. That would cost you at a reasonable rate. Plus you could pay for it with a decent windfall tax on the energy companies. We'd also like the government to introduce an insulation scheme so that there's a safe insulation scheme there and decent homes that are in decent repair. So that's another thing they could do. And stop for the forced insertion of prepayment means. Stop that. And don't cut people's energy off because they're in debt. And of course we think the best thing to do is to make sure that the energy that is used is taken into public ownership and that any energy that people do use is also renewable energy so that it does away with damaging fossil fuels that damages the climate. So we've also got postcards which will be going to Rishi Sunak nationally round about April time. And nationally unite community doing this and getting people to fill in the cards. And as I say, in April they'll be submitting the cards in Downing Street. There'll be a presentation in Downing Street. And there are six parliamentary constituencies in Leeds and Bradford where households are in fuel poverty. i.e. they can't afford to heat their homes or use necessary equipment like cookers or special equipment if you're disabled and so on. And in one constituency in Leeds, Leeds Central, 47% of households, that's nearly half, are in fuel poverty. So that's absolutely shocking. So we have been kind of lobbying MPs so we hope that there is support there. And do you have any plans to raise a petition to go to Westminster? Well, as I said earlier, when we fill the cards in across the country we're going to have a special event where the cards will be delivered to Rishi Sunak to attend Downing Street. And that will be in April. Thank you so much.