“Price controls needed immediately” - Carlow PBP Cllr
As news broke of another energy price hike, this time from Electric Ireland local People Before Profit Councillor Adrienne Wallace said that gas and electricity bills are becoming unsustainable and actions is needed now.
She added:
“Households are facing bills of €6,000 from early next year if prices keep on increasing at the current rate. That is more than triple the average they were paying at the start of 2021. A recent Amarach opinion poll indicated that nearly two-thirds of people said they would not be able to comfortably afford energy bills if they rise again.”
“We have a government that is slave to the dogma that it cannot properly ‘interfere in the market’. The result has been an approach that takes little account of social suffering. People Before Profit is advocating for immediate price controls on energy and essential foods. The government has the legal power to impose such order but refuses to use it.”
“Price controls will mean that the profits of large energy companies have to take a hit. Ireland used to have the cheapest electricity in the EU for domestic users but de-regulation and an over-reliance on ‘the market’ has pushed our prices to the top of the league.
“Long-term we need to reverse this and take energy companies into public ownership and give them a not-for-profit mandate. The Cost Of Living Crisis Coalition will be calling for this measure to be introduced at their demo on September 24th in Dublin.
“We need people power to push the government into action.”