Council monitoring impact of Iran war on energy costs in North Yorks

The US-Israel war with Iran has already impacted petrol prices, mortgages, and the cost of energy bills and heating oil.

Earlier this month, the Members of Parliament for Scarborough and Whitby and Thirsk and Malton called for “urgent action” to tackle oil price gouging following concerns about sharp price increases.

Concerns have also been raised about how rising costs could impact council finances in England’s largest county.

North Yorkshire Council’s head of resilience and emergencies, Matthew Robinson, said:

“As a large rural organisation, many of our services need to be delivered across the county.

“We ensure that we have a robust approach to resilience and are always mindful of value for money.”

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), he added: “We will continue to closely monitor for any impacts across our services as well as on partners in the local resilience forum.”

Alison Hume, the MP for Scarborough and Whitby, said: “The conflict in the Middle East is concerning for all of us, and the effects of it are being felt across the world, including right here in Scarborough and Whitby.

“The Government has welcomed the International Energy Agency’s decision to authorise a co-ordinated release of our collective oil reserves, to alleviate the pressure on supply.

“The Chancellor Rachel Reeves also announced other steps to help households and businesses cope with rising costs as a result of the war between the US/Israel and Iran.”

Ms Hume highlighted that the Competition and Markets Authority will be given the powers it needs to detect and combat price-gouging, with time-limited measures being considered, and noted that the CAM had launched a study into the heating oil market.