Hitchin & Harpenden’s Member of Parliament Bim Afolami MP used his position on Parliament’s influential Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee to question industry leaders over business energy prices.
Mr Afolami has been working to support local small businesses with their energy bills – particularly in energy intensive industries and hospitality – since energy price rises started to bite last year. Questioning the trade association for energy firms, the MP raised reports of “disgraceful” behaviour in relation to business energy costs, including reports that small businesses have been being charged above wholesale price, had standing charges hiked and received demands for large deposits.
He also raised points about the profits of energy companies and questioned whether non-domestic consumers were paying the price of stringent rules in the domestic market to deliver increased profitability for energy firms.
Bim Afolami MP said,
“When I was elected to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee last year I told constituents that I would use the position to champion the issues that they tell me they care about locally. I have heard from local businesses – particularly small businesses and those in hospitality – about the way that energy suppliers have been treating them and the particularly bad deals that energy firms have been offering.
“This session was a good opportunity for me to be able to question very senior industry figures about whether or not they consider that energy companies are behaving appropriately, about the profits they have been making from non-domestic customers, and about how we can get a better deal from businesses in Hitchin, Harpenden and the villages from energy suppliers. I will continue to echo what local businesses and residents are telling me to Ministerial colleagues and industry and I will fight for you to get energy prices down as far as possible.”
NOTE TO EDITORS
Mr Afolami’s full Select Committee appearance, including answers from industry leaders, can be found on YouTube at https://youtu.be/1LNeGH0EOPc.
