CEREDIGION Preseli MP Ben Lake has called on the UK Government to introduce urgent support for off-grid households and businesses as fuel prices rise sharply amid the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

Speaking during an economic statement by the Chancellor and in a subsequent meeting with government ministers, Mr Lake urged ministers to introduce support payments for off-grid homes similar to those provided following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. He also stressed the need for stronger regulation of the heating oil and LPG markets, bringing them into line with the protections already in place for mains gas customers.

On Monday, the Chancellor said she would support a coordinated release of oil reserves through the International Energy Agency alongside other G7 finance ministers. She also confirmed that the Competition and Markets Authority had been asked to monitor the market closely for any evidence of price gouging during the crisis.

While welcoming these steps, Mr Lake said greater certainty was needed around direct support for rural communities.

Ceredigion Preseli has one of the highest proportions of households not connected to the mains gas grid anywhere in Great Britain. Around seventy-two per cent of homes in the constituency rely on heating oil or LPG to warm their properties.

Some rural households have reported heating oil price increases of up to 117 per cent in recent weeks, with off-grid customers exposed to volatile wholesale markets and lacking the regulatory protections available to mains gas users.

Mr Lake said: “Whilst I welcome the government’s commitment to reconsider the regulation of the heating oil and LPG sectors, such efforts will only provide relief for rural communities in the long term.

“Such is the severity of the situation currently facing off-grid households and businesses that the government must bring forward support measures as a matter of urgency.

“Dozens of constituents have been in contact in recent days to report significant price increases which are simply unaffordable for many.

“The financial consequences of the Iran crisis are being felt acutely across Ceredigion Preseli. Although we all hope for a swift end to hostilities, the prospect of longer-term disruption to supply chains and a prolonged period of high prices risks dealing a severe blow to rural communities.

“I made the case for immediate relief for off-grid households and businesses directly to the Energy Minister and the Financial Secretary to the Treasury during Wednesday’s meeting.

“Along with other MPs representing rural constituencies across the UK, I urged them to consider short-term measures ranging from direct payment support for off-grid properties to temporarily exempting heating oil and LPG from VAT.

“Such measures would not detract from longer-term efforts to introduce stronger regulatory protections, nor from action against any price gouging, but would at least offer some immediate help to households and businesses struggling with higher prices this week.”

THE WELSH LIB DEMS have called for a complete overhaul of the water industry following news that Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water is set to pay a proposed £44.7m fine after regulators found serious breaches in its operations.

The penalty has been proposed by water regulator Ofwat, which said its investigation uncovered “serious and unacceptable” failures in the company’s sewage and network services.

Responding to the announcement, Jane Dodds, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, said the situation highlighted long-standing problems within the water industry.

She said: “Communities across Wales are sick of hearing apologies whilst raw sewage continues to pollute our rivers.”

Dodds added that enforcement against water companies had been too weak for decades, allowing environmental problems to persist.

“For decades, there has been far too little enforcement when water companies have failed,” she said. “That is why the Welsh Liberal Democrats have led the calls over the last several years for Ofwat to be replaced with a tough new Welsh regulator with real powers to prevent sewage dumping and hold polluters properly to account, alongside a ban on executive bonuses.”

Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and the Environment, Janet Finch-Saunders MS said: “Dŵr Cymru customers will be frustrated to see bills rising while Ofwat has now found serious and unacceptable failures in how the company has operated and maintained its sewage network.

“This £44.7 million enforcement package raises a fundamental question for customers across Wales: what exactly are they paying for? Dŵr Cymru’s bill increases were supposed to deliver improved infrastructure and reduce sewage discharges, yet Wales continues to experience some of the worst pollution incidents in the UK.

“With Wales experiencing far higher levels of sewage discharges than England, the continued inaction from both Dŵr Cymru and the Labour Welsh Government is compromising our waterways and failing communities who rightly expect better.”

The proposed fine follows an investigation by Ofwat into Welsh Water’s handling of sewage and wider network services. The regulator said the breaches were serious enough to warrant significant financial penalties.

The Liberal Democrats say the case demonstrates the need for stronger oversight and reforms to the current regulatory system governing water companies in Wales.

Environmental campaigners have long warned that sewage discharges are harming rivers and coastal waters across Wales, while critics argue that stronger enforcement and regulation are needed to prevent further pollution incidents.

Ofwat’s findings and the proposed penalty are expected to intensify the ongoing political debate over how water services should be regulated and managed in Wales.

A CALL for the relocation of a Pembrokeshire farm diversification scheme which packages and distributes specialist medical equipment across Europe has been given the final go-ahead by councillors.

In an application recommended for refusal at the March meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, Mr Van Der Spoel sought permission for the relocation and expansion of an existing farm diversification business into an existing agricultural building at Castle Villa, Hayscastle.

The proposals were before full council rather than its planning committee as members had twice gone against officer recommendations of refusal with a ‘minded to’ support for the scheme, and a ‘cooling off’ period, meaning a final decision would need to be made by all councillors.

Last July a similar application by Mr Van Der Spoel, through agent Harries Planning Design Management, was refused by planning officers.

A supporting statement for that application said the Dutch-born applicant, together with his wife and adult daughter ran the farm diversification business packing specialist medical insulated insulin supplies at their sheep farm.

It added: “The business run from this site is FRIO ASTRID EURO Ltd, which has a franchise agreement with FRIO UK. This business has been run from Castle Villa since its incorporation in 1998. The business was initially run from the stable building on the farmyard at Castle Villa.

“The business set-up involves receiving stock from FRIO UK in Wolfscastle, packaging orders and distributing the stock to seven Western Europe countries.”

Wolfscastle-based FRIO produces the world’s first patented insulin cooling wallet which keeps insulin and other temperature-sensitive medicines cool and safe.

The scheme for the business, said to have outgrown its current site, was refused by county planners on grounds including a lack of “robust evidence” to prove it couldn’t be sited within a nearby settlement or an allocated employment site, such as Haverfordwest.

The latest application was recommended for refusal on similar grounds.

Agent Wyn Harries has previously said his client’s business, selling into Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, and Germany, accounted for some 20 per cent of FRIO UK’s trade on its own, adding that previous articles on the planning application in the Western Telegraph had shown a great deal of public support for the applicants.

At the January meeting, local member, and chair of the planning committee, Cllr Mark Carter moved approval, delegated to senior officers on receipt of a Section 106 legal agreement, saying the proposals had community council support, adding it was “hard not to support a business that keeps local jobs and keeps a family farm viable”.

Cllr Michelle Bateman, whose neighbouring ward has FRIO UK’s base, said she was “fully supportive” of Cllr Carter’s call.

Members were warned of the danger of potentially setting a precedent by going against officer recommendations, with both former leader Cllr David Simpson and Cllr Michael Williams expressing their concerns at going against the officer recommendations.

Cllr Carter’s call, against the recommendation of refusal, was passed by 28 votes to 15, with one abstention.