IN this week’s column, Warrington South Tory MP Andy Carter discusses plans for a new hospital in the town.

Securing a new hospital for Warrington and its surrounding area remains my number one priority and some of the recent reports showing the pressures A&E are under only go to highlight the need for a bigger facility.  

It’s a topic I’ve raised in Parliament and with ministers on many occasions – earlier this year it resulted in a visit by the then Prime Minister to see the hospital for himself. 

Working with the NHS Trust, we’ve submitted a detailed bid the secure £370 million needed for the re-build.  

We’re awaiting the outcome of that process and at every opportunity I will continue to push both the Secretary of State and Prime Minister to secure the funding we need for our town.

I know that throughout Warrington South, and indeed the whole country, there is concern over the rising cost of living, in particular when it comes to energy bills.

Many of you have contacted my office asking what support is available.  

To that end, I want to run through the measures that the Government have introduced to help people with the rising cost of their bills and how it will impact you financially.

At the start of October, the Energy Price Guarantee came into effect. Suppliers now have a maximum daily fee and cost per energy unit that they can charge.  

Those caps are based regionally and depend how you pay your bills.  

The quoted £2,500 is an illustration of the impact of these caps for a home using a typical amount of energy, but it’s important to say that there isn’t a cap of £2,500 per year.

An additional discretionary fund is available for those households who are outside of the schemes such as those households not on standard gas or electricity contracts.

For those who pay their energy bills directly to their landlord, based on usage, then the landlord is required to pass on savings from the Energy Price Cap Guarantee. 

The Price Guarantee comes alongside the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme, an automatic, non-repayable discount which will be credited to people’s bills in six instalments between this month and March next year.  

The most vulnerable UK households, such as pensioners, those in receipt of benefits and people with disabilities, will also receive up to £1,200 (depending on your circumstances) of additional support provided in instalments over the year.

Businesses will also benefit from the Government’s new Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which is providing a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for non-domestic customers including all UK businesses, the voluntary sector like charities and the public sector such as schools and hospitals.  

The support given through this scheme is the equivalent to the Energy Price Guarantee put in place for households.

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme has seen the Government set a Supported Wholesale Price, which is a discounted price per unit of gas and electricity and applies to fixed contracts agreed on or after 1 April 2022, as well as to deemed, variable and flexible tariffs and contracts.  

It covers energy usage from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023 for an initial six month period for all non-domestic energy users.  

For those businesses not connected to either the gas or electricity grid, equivalent support is available for non-domestic consumers who use heating oil or alternative fuels.

The Government is set to publish a review into the operation of the scheme after three months to look at future support after March 2023.  

The review will focus in particular on identifying the most vulnerable non-domestic customers and how they will continue to receive support with their energy costs.

I’m pleased that the new Government’s focus is firmly on helping households and businesses with cost of living by taking immediate action to reduce energy bills.  

The approach we are taking is the right one and I will always continue to press ministers to ensure support is in place for my constituents in Warrington South.