Lib Dems were right to condemn Labour's heating charges hike!!

10.15.00am GMT Thu 28th Jan 2010

Breaking news that Manchester's Labour Council is to reduce heating charges for thousands of tenants has been welcomed by Lib Dem Housing Spokesperson Iain Donaldson as clear proof that increases of over 70% over the past thee years have been totally excessive and for many residents unaffordable.

Last year Cllr Donaldson condemned Labour's 31% fuel hike, proposing instead an increase of 10% and stating at the time that "Thousands of people in Manchester already live in fuel poverty. The poorest are already paying the highest proportion of their income in taxes. Now, this Labour Council is looking to add to their misery by landing them with an communal fuel increase nearly seven times the rate of inflation."

Labour claim that this years decrease will cut fuel bills, but as Cllr Donaldson points out "Any reduction in prices is welcome, however they are merely reducing future bills to a level that means prices will still be up nearly 30% on what they were four years ago, more than double inflation over that period."