Greenpeace Swansea volunteers lobby Tonia Antoniazzi’s office to show Gower MP that constituents want green homes and fairer bills

On Saturday April 1st, Gower constituents and Swansea Greenpeace volunteers came together in Gorseinon to show Tonia Antoniazzi MP that people are still struggling with their energy bills, and that all MPs needs to push for the Energy Bill to create an energy system that’s fair, green and clean. It was a drizzly day, but eight people turned out at Tania’s office on the edge of Argyll Gardens in Gorseinon, to lobby the MP. This event was one of more than 80 taking place across the UK this spring as part of the Warm This Winter mass lobby [1].;

‘We’re really disappointed that Tonia Antoniazzi MP hasn’t yet responded to our request to meet. We collected about 25 messages to the MP from local people who are struggling with their energy bills, and  it’s only right that our MP should take the time to listen to people’s concerns and hear that they want solutions such as home insulation.’ Sue West-Jones continued:
‘We urgently need her to pledge to call for the expansion of Government-funded home insulation schemes, heat pump installation, more investment in renewable energy, and further support for vulnerable households with their energy bills. The Energy Bill is the opportunity to legislate for this and create an energy system that works for the constituents of Gower.’ [2]

The recent Spring Statement failed to commit any new money to keep homes warm, and the Government’s promised ‘Green Day’ [3] (30th March) turned into yet another failure on climate action. Greenpeace Swansea volunteers are calling for £5.3bn in new cash for home insulation, £14bn of emergency support for households struggling with bills, and £3.3bn to roll out cheap, clean heating in our homes to get the UK off gas once and for all. We also need to triple renewable energy by 2030, and stop new oil and gas extraction. The Energy Bill is the next opportunity to legislate for these measures and build a secure energy future, with cheaper bills and warmer, greener homes.