Could Rising Fuel Prices Increase Rural Isolation?

19 May 2012

Everyone is familiar with the popular expression 'look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves' but now even more people are choosing to put this pearl of wisdom into practice.

At a time of budget cuts, redundancies and rising prices every penny really does count and persistent rises in the price of one commodity in particular is continuing to worry many of our county's residents.

Petrol and diesel prices have rocketed in recent years - and really spiked in the past few months - and it seems there could be no end in sight, at least not for the foreseeable future as the civil unrest continues in Libya.

Although everyone across the country is facing extreme prices, rural communities are facing even higher costs as fuel is often as much as five to 10 pence more expensive per litre in these areas than in cities.   

Further increases in fuel prices couldn't come at a worse time for Northumberland as our communities are still struggling with the after-effects of last year's public sector budget cuts.

While, initially, many would assume that the cost of petrol and diesel would only really effect car owners - this certainly isn't the case. The rising cost of food and clothes can all be linked back to fuel prices.

Many companies are feeling the pinch, particularly our small, independent businesses - most of which are being forced to up their prices in order to survive.

Last week a Northumberland fuel station hit the headlines after its owner had to raise his prices to £1.47 per litre for diesel and £1.40 for petrol in order to meet increased supplier costs - over the previous four months he has already seen his sales fall by around 50 per cent.

A lot of people would admit they that are guilty of making unnecessary journeys in their car but most are fortunate enough that they live close enough to local amenities that they can leave the car on the driveway occasionally.

But as the fuel prices effects really start to bite, we should remember those in rural communities that aren't so lucky and for whom tackling the increased cost of living isn't just a case of walking down the road to the shops. We as a nation must not allow our rural areas to become even more isolated.

The Government has already confirmed that it will remove up to five pence off fuel prices for remote island communities - hopefully it will extend this to mainland rural areas as well.

Northumberland residents can contact DAWN Advice for free support and legal advice on a range issues, including debt, housing, employment, welfare benefits and family law, through the new advice line on 0844 4111 309.