Shropshire MPs' column: Read the latest from the county's representatives in Westminster
Read the latest column from the MP for North Shropshire, Helen Morgan.
As the MP for North Shropshire, I spend a great deal of time listening to residents’ concerns. Not surprisingly over the past couple of weeks, those concerns have centred around the eye‑watering rise in heating oil prices as a result of Trump’s war in Iran.
More than a third of households in North Shropshire rely on heating oil, double the national average. That means over 15,000 people are effectively ‘off‑grid’ and exposed to the full force of global instability. When conflict flares in the Middle East, rural homes feel the effects almost immediately.
At the beginning of March, the average UK price for heating oil was around 64 pence per litre. It then surged to 136 pence - and some local suppliers were quoting as high as 153 pence. The threat to tankers from Iran means oil prices continue to fluctuate wildly.
I’ve spoken to residents who have postponed essential deliveries because they simply can’t afford to fill their tanks. And with no end in sight, others have already burned through winter savings in order to keep their families warm.
What makes this crisis even harder to swallow is that heating oil customers have none of the protection offered by Ofgem’s energy price cap. Rural communities are once again left exposed, overlooked and expected to shoulder the risk alone.
That’s why I’ve called on the Chancellor to introduce urgent support - including for a price cap on heating oil a a three‑month removal of VAT. These are practical steps that would give people breathing space until markets stabilise.
In Parliament recently, I pressed the Chancellor directly. She acknowledged the “unique situation” and confirmed that the Treasury was reviewing options, but warm words alone will not heat a single home. We need swift, targeted action, and we need it now.
All this comes on top of the Government’s planned fuel duty hike - the first in 15 years - due to add another pence per litre at the pumps this September. In rural areas like ours, where public transport is limited, this is yet another blow. It creates a perfect storm - soaring global prices, no protection for off‑grid households, and new taxes waiting in the wings.
I will continue pushing the Chancellor to rethink this ill-conceived plan and to step up with meaningful support for rural communities. North Shropshire residents should not be left facing a choice of whether to heat or eat this spring.
