Council calls on Stormont to cap heating oil prices amid fears for vulnerable people
A Northern Ireland council has called for a Stormont department to "urgently" help cap heating oil prices amid fears hundreds of vulnerable people will die in freezing temperatures.
Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council (LCCC) unanimously approved a motion to also lobby Assembly ministers for a crisis cash boost with many households at “breaking point”.
The huge hike in heating costs from the Middle East conflict is now said to be impacting the budgets of 500,000 homes in Northern Ireland, with a plea for the Department for Communities (DfC) not to be a “bystander” in the oil crisis. Bringing forward the motion, Lisburn South Alliance councillor Jessica Bamford said: “The days following the strike on Iran saw the highest jump in oil prices ever recorded. This is not a fluctuation. This is a crisis.
“The people of Northern Ireland are at a huge disadvantage, 68% of homes here rely on home heating oil, which is far higher than the rest of the UK and Ireland.
“This is affecting everyone in every DEA (district electoral area) across the council and across all councils, adding extra struggles onto families who are already at crisis point.
“An estimated 290 people die in their homes each winter due to fuel poverty. Let that sink in.
“That was before this unprecedented rise in costs, I dread to think about the winter ahead if we don’t intervene urgently.”
In recent days a price snapshot has shown 500 litres of home heating oil has cost £569, marking an increase of over 81% before the conflict. The UK Government has stepped in with an offer of £17 million in support to NI, which economists calculated as £35 per household. To put into context, the last major oil crisis in 2023 caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, all households in NI received £600 towards energy bills. Councillor Bamford added: "It is the ultimate responsibility of DfC to end fuel poverty for good, however the department cannot be a bystander when people here are at breaking point. “The Consumer Council and the Council for Consumer Affairs have no powers to intervene or hold these companies to account. “This is why this motion asks the Minister for Economy to urgently consider expanding the remit of the energy regulator to include home heating oil. “This would provide real insight, accountability and fairness to the consumer and it is something that is long overdue.” The heating oil motion received cross party support in the chamber.
Lisburn South UUP councillor Tim Mitchell said: “What has always struck me is that when the prices of crude oil go up, you will immediately see prices rise. “But, when they go down, as they have been over the last number of days, you just don’t see the prices at the petrol pump or heating oil go down and that doesn’t seem fair, in fact they seem to be rising further still. “However, I have been assured by some local heating oil companies that they are paying the bigger prices too and have no choice but to pass on the increase prices to the customer. “It is the big guys at the top who need to be held to account.”