It has been confirmed this afternoon that the UK's energy price cap is set to rise again in October by nearly £1,000.
Speaking to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee this afternoon, Ofgem's chief executive, Jonathan Brearley, said that the regulator anticipates the new price cap this October will be "in the region of £2,800".
He added that costs are currently rising at a "once in a generation" rate "not seen since the 1970s", and that this issue is something that only the government could address.
The regulator revealed the hike in prices this afternoon, as its chief executive suggested that "it's quite possible this [price cap] could go higher", telling the Committee: "The volatility in the gas market is huge."
Currently, the energy price cap sits at £1,971 - having increased by over 50% in April, reports The Manc.
That means that, within the space of six months, the regulator's energy price cap in the UK will have risen by £1,512.
Currently, here in the UK, there are nearly 6.5 million people living in poverty. However, Ofgem is now warning the government that this could well double in October when the price cap goes up again.
With UK inflation at the highest it has been in 40 years, many struggling households are also seeing price rises at fuel pumps and in the supermarket.
National Insurance tax has just been increased by the Chancellor in his spring budget, too, meaning that people are taking home less money as prices soar.
Soaring energy bills are considered to be the biggest inflation driver in the UK right now, and there is increasing pressure on the government to do more to help families and children who are slipping into poverty as a result of the cost of living emergency.
Whilst the government has said it is willing to support people, it is yet to deliver any solutions - such as introducing a Windfall Tax on energy companies or restoring the £20 a week Universal Credit uplift to help the country's worst off.
Labour has called the price cap news 'extremely concerning', adding that it "will cause huge worry for families already facing soaring bills and rising inflation".
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves said: “How many more alarm bells does the chancellor need to hear before he acts? The government have got to get a grip on this crisis and to protect families and our economy.
“Yet again, Labour calls urgently on the government to bring forward an emergency budget, with a windfall tax on oil and gas producer profits to lower bills for families.”
Boris Johnson's spokesperson maintained that the government is already offering help which will be 'phased throughout the year'.
They said: "Some of the support is designed to come in in October, £200 will be discounted from energy bills, the warm home discount will increase to £150 and be expanded to cover three million people, cold weather payments and winter fuel payments will be available again," the spokesman said."
Feature image - RawPixel
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When Yorkshire is due to get hot as a fourth heatwave of the year hits the UK
Yes, ANOTHER heatwave is set to hit the UK - the fourth in 2026 so far - and, understandably, Yorkshire residents are already preparing for the latest blast of hot weather and wondering when it arrives.
Yes, in case you missed the news, more high temperatures are set to spread across the UK and Ireland this month and heading into August.
The increase will gradually build throughout this week, with Wednesday tipped to be the hottest day according to various meteorologists.
While Yorkshire thankfully isn't quite slated to get the sweatiest, parts of the Midlands and the usual suspects down south are set to hit the highest numbers, but the thermometers are still on course to reach around the mid-20s over the coming days.
Estimates of 26°C were predicted for this coming Tuesday, with the levels floating in and around 24/25 on the following Wednesday.
The heat is then due to drop off slowly, with top scores of no higher than 21°C on the cards for Thursday and Friday. Although the weekend forecast is less certain at present, one thing that has been announced is reduced rainfall.
Aside from a few more trickles today (Mon, 27 July), the showers or lack thereof cease rather soon, with some of the driest parts of the country already having various effects; for instance, parched parts of Wales have even revealed lost archaeological sites last Friday (24/7/2026).
It would be remiss if we didn't mention the obvious moorland fires across our region, which were sadly exacerbated by hot weather earlier this month.
At least it'll be a bit cooler here than in other parts of the country. ☀️
Prime Minister Andy Burnham is opening Health and Social Care North in Leeds
Danny Jones
Newly-appointed Prime Minister Andy Burnham has shared plans for a brand-new Health and Social Care 'North' in Leeds as one of his first big plans as leader.
Set to be based right here in the city centre, the new Yorkshire base for the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) will serve as a Northern hub for the crucial cog in the public sector.
This comes not long after Andy Burnham announced and opened 'No. 10 North' at his previous base over in Greater Manchester, which took barely a week to get up and running.
Headed up by current Health Secretary Yvette Cooper, the initiative will be building on the vision outlined not only by Burnham but on the groundwork laid by her predecessor and now Defence Minister, Wes Streeting.
The new Defence Minister, Wes Streeting, says that social care has been ignored for too long and needs a clear long-term plan.
Mr Streeting, who was Health and Social Care Secretary until earlier this year, reflected on new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham's, first few days in… pic.twitter.com/Udnd1EwcsE
As per a report by LBC, an insider close to Cooper - the Labour MP for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley - told the outlet that this big step for the North "will help bring decision-making closer to the communities we serve and strengthen our ability to improve health outcomes across the country."
"She has asked the Department to draw up plans that would complement the plans for Number 10 North on the other side of the Pennines", they continued, "allowing Ministers to work from Quarry House [in LS2] in the North, and strengthening DHSC operations in other parts of the country."
With confirmation now coming that the old 'Quarry on the Hill' has been chosen as the satellite station for the soon-to-be-overhauled Department, the selection makes sense given its current government operations.
As well as being a major headquarters for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), it also has offices reporting to DHSC, NHS staff and other parts of the civil service.
In addition, it's also worth noting that the PM has just announced another big change to the education sector, too, essentially trying to redress the balance between "academic and technical" training.
Great news for everyone looking to seek out solid and hopefully more stable careers across the nation.
Building on Leeds' existing offices, the idea is that this will ensure more considered development across more regions and specific communities, West Yorkshire being just one of them.
Many localities still understandably feel like they fall foul of being somewhat overlooked, especially up in this part of the country.
But, as alluded to above, the hope is that this continued sense of devolution and efforts to work more directly with local governments should help bridge the gap between Whitehall, Westminster and the rest.
As the PM said in his first speech at his new Northern premises, he said a big part of his ethos is about "putting power in every postcode" and making a change from things just feeling "like an argument with people in the centre of government and people having a to and from all of the time."
While official opening dates etc for Health and Social Care North are still yet to be revealed, the former Mayor of Greater Manchester has insisted that he will be working from No.10 North at least once a week. What do you make of it all, Leeds?
Georgina Pellant -
24th May 2022 
