21 February 2012: Post on labourmatters.com detailing Ken Livingstone’s pledges to ” cut the cost of living for Londoners through series of new ambitious measures to tackle the rising cost of energy bills.” The article details that:
“Ken will:
1. Secure London’s fair share of national energy efficiency funding to help cut Londoners’ energy bills by £150 a year
2. Prioritise insulating older people’s homes.
3. Establish the first ever London Energy Purchasing Co-operative.
4. Make cutting Londoner’s fuel bills and reducing carbon emissions a Mayoral priority.
“Alongside my pledges to cut the fares and campaign for lower rents, cutting Londoner’s fuel bills is at the very top of my agenda. If I am elected I pledge to:
“Firstly, take personal charge of an unprecedented drive to insulate hundreds of thousands of homes which will save Londoners hundreds of pounds. It’s astonishing that London has missed out on over £400 million home insulation funding. I will put the full resources of the GLA behind a drive to ensure every single penny of insulation funding that is available to the capital is used to cut Londoners’ fuel bills.
“Secondly, I believe the Mayor must act when the big energy companies impose huge hikes to Londoners’ fuel bills. I will establish the first ever London Energy Purchasing Co-operative to provide a cheaper alternative to the big energy companies and save Londoners money.
“And finally I will make energy costs a Mayoral priority. If I’m elected I will call an immediate Energy Summit of all the main domestic energy suppliers and chair a ‘Warm Green Homes’ task force to provide leadership and take action to cut Londoner’s fuel bills.”
The average cost of keeping a home warm has risen by over £300 a year since 2008. The Citizens’ Advice Bureau has reported 45% of Londoners are worried that they will not be able to pay their next heating and electricity bills.”
Read the full detail on the pledges here.