CHESHIRE East Council is set to become just the second local authority in the country to introduce a low-cost energy scheme to ensure residents do not have to choose between ‘eating and heating’ this winter.


The 170,000 households in the borough could soon benefit from an energy deal aimed at tackling fuel poverty by buying their supply through their local council.


It is estimated that 9.5% of households in the Borough are living in fuel poverty and the local authority has initiated a scheme which will enable anyone in the borough to buy their energy at a competitively low cost when compared to the Big Six energy suppliers.


The Council claims to be in talks with an energy supplier and further announcements will be made in due course as to how soon residents can begin switching to the Council’s own preferred energy provider offering the one of the most competitive tariffs.


Council Leader, Councillor Michael Jones, said: “This is yet another innovation for Cheshire East Council, the council which has frozen council tax for four consecutive years.


“Now we have initiated a scheme to alleviate fuel poverty in the borough so that low-income families who are worried about paying their energy bill this winter know that their local council can ease the pain by offering a scheme tailored to their circumstances.”


“My concern is to ensure that families and older people in particular do not have to choose between heating and eating.


“I want the people of Cheshire East to live well and for longer and not to have to worry about heating their homes and meeting huge energy bills.”


The Department for Energy and Climate Change has stated that proportionately more households in rural areas are in fuel poverty than the national average with a greater number of households having to rely on electricity, oil or LPG for heating.