The Countryside Alliance has written to the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband, calling for urgent action to support rural households, farms and businesses facing rapidly rising fuel costs.
In a letter sent by the Countryside Alliance, Chief Executive Tim Bonner warned that rural communities are being disproportionately affected by escalating energy prices, particularly those living off the mains gas grid who rely on heating oil, LPG and other fuels.
The letter highlights findings from the Alliance’s recent research with the Labour Rural Research Group, which showed that rural families already face higher energy costs than their urban counterparts and have fewer options available to keep their homes warm and businesses running.
Recent global events and volatility in international energy markets have driven the cost of fuels such as heating oil and LPG sharply upwards. For many rural households, these are not optional extras but essential fuels for heating homes and powering vehicles needed for work, farming and everyday life.
While the government has recently acknowledged the pressures facing off-grid energy users in correspondence with the UK and Ireland Fuel Distributors Association, the Countryside Alliance has warned that rural communities now need practical and targeted action.
A particular concern is ensuring that alternative heating options remain available for rural homes. For many families, wood-burning stoves and log burners provide a reliable and affordable way to heat properties that are difficult or costly to connect to the gas grid.
The Countryside Alliance has therefore urged the government to introduce measures that will ease the pressure on rural energy users, including targeted support for off-grid households facing extreme heating costs, policy certainty around the continued use of practical alternative heating solutions such as wood-burning stoves, and a review of energy pricing and duty arrangements to reflect the higher costs faced by rural families and businesses.
Rural economies are heavily reliant on affordable fuel, not only for households but also for farms, small businesses and the supply chains that support them. Rising costs risk pushing vulnerable households into hardship and threatening the viability of rural enterprises.
The Countryside Alliance will continue to press ministers to ensure rural communities are not overlooked as the government develops its energy policies. Practical and affordable heating options, including wood-burning stoves and other alternatives, must remain part of the rural energy mix.
The Alliance has made clear that it will be watching closely to see what action the government takes to support rural Britain as energy costs continue to rise.