YOUR VIEWS: Energy charges just don’t add up and anger over Inverness level crossing closure
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More ideas and opinion from readers.
Energy charges just don’t add up
Just had our gas bill and although we had taken steps to reduce our consumption and it being a summer we were surprised and dismayed at the amount.
Because of this we looked at the bill to see if we could reduce our consumption even more.
First, we are what the company terms a “pay on receipt of invoice customer” so automatically we are charged more than a direct debit customer.
We raised a complaint with our provider and a very nice spokeswoman phoned and explained it was an administration charge.
When we proffered an explanation that the admin charges would be balanced out by the bank interest received from customers that pay by direct debit and used less energy than predicted we were informed that they get no interest from that situation.
The next charge is one which we all pay, the GREEN LEVY fine – oops, did I miscall that?
The levy is one of numerous charges which make up an annual energy bill.
The other main ones include wholesale costs (what you pay a supplier for energy to be brought to your home), network costs (for the gas pipes and electricity cables that carry energy to your home) and operating costs (such as meter maintenance and installations).
When the green levy was first introduced a few years ago, most of us accepted it was our contribution in the effort to get away from carbon fuels.
As any benefit from the levies is still to be realised, maybe they should be temporarily stopped.
I have just received another letter from my provider about the large increase in prices, ouch.
But they kindly said that I could save £308.41 by changing to direct debt.
So that is the choice I’m given – either line their pockets with their predicted direct deb (past experience has shown that the direct debit is always in a company’s favour) or lose £308.41.
I intend to ask the Ombudsman why I should have to pay more than someone on direct debt.
Finlay G Mackintosh
Forres
Tax idea won’t fly for healthcare
Clark Cross should get his facts right.
The Scottish NHS, while it has some problems in the aftermath of Covid, is still the best performing NHS in the UK as measured by all comparable measures and is recognised as such by esteemed bodies like the Nuffield Trust.
Another error is that the Scottish Government can only vary the income tax bands but has no powers over allowances, so cannot give tax relief for using private health bodies.
I also have serious concerns over private health as it potentially undermines the NHS by taking up valuable NHS resources of staffing and beds.
Munro Ross
Stratton Road
Inverness
Action needed for women
Women are still being overlooked as ovarian cancer continues to devastate and claim lives.
Progress is not being made quick enough, and as one of those diagnosed with the deadliest gynaecological cancer, I know we deserve more.
I’d been suffering with a bloated tummy, feeling full quickly, and misdiagnosed water infections for over a year. I visited my GP, but my symptoms were confused as other things, so I kept putting up with it.
In the meantime, my husband was diagnosed with bowel cancer. This was a shock to us both, but it made me consider my own health, and after doing some research I realised I had the classic symptoms of ovarian cancer. Persistent bloating, feeling full quickly, tummy pain, and needing to wee more often. I went back to the GP but thought “no, we can’t be that unlucky”.
But I was diagnosed with stage one ovarian cancer, another shock in our life. I went from caring for someone with cancer, to being someone with cancer.
Since my diagnosis I’ve realised so much more needs to be done to save lives.
If diagnosed at the earliest stages, nine in 10 women will survive. But two-thirds of women are diagnosed late, when the cancer is harder to treat.
To get faster diagnoses, we need widespread awareness and more support for GPs and healthcare professionals.
Right now, over a quarter of women make three or more visits to their GP before being referred for tests and nearly a third wait over three months from first visiting their GP for the correct diagnosis. No GP wants to miss a diagnosis of ovarian cancer.
Together with Target Ovarian Cancer, we’re calling for a combination of national symptoms awareness campaigns, more training and support for GPs and urgent investment in the Clinical Nurse Specialist workforce.
This will lead to earlier diagnosis of ovarian cancer, access for all to treatment, and widespread improvements in support, notably mental health support.
Email your MP telling them that urgent action is needed to raise the profile of ovarian cancer and the devastating impact it’s having on people’s lives.
Please do this today.
Find out more by visiting www.targetovariancancer.org.uk.
Diane Boothby
Target Ovarian Cancer
Level crossing is closed
The Petty level crossing near Inverness has closed as part of works being carried out to create the new Inverness Airport rail stop. It has been replaced with a footpath and bridge.
“Jo Noble took the trouble to inform the Courier of this closure date in due time. I stay next door to the Petty crossing, and I don’t get out much now. I got 14 HOURS notice, by letter, dated October 4 in Saturday morning’s post. Apparently Highland Council had agreed the issue of a stopping-up order in January (without telling me one was proposed) and left it to Network Rail to tell me when they chose. How we do things these days?” – Jim Brennan, Petty
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