JERSEY Gas should have given more warning about its price increase and staggered the rise, according to the chairman of the Consumer Council.
Deputy Alan Breckon believes the utility company has not acted in consumers’ best interests by announcing a six per cent price rise just 24 hours before it came into force.
Yesterday, International Energy Group, which is chaired by CI Traders chairman Tom Scott, announced that prices in Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man were going up this morning.
The rise, which was blamed on the ‘volatile situation in the Middle East’, came two months after the group announced a £9m operating profit.
Today, Deputy Breckon said: ‘I know that Jersey Gas will have operating costs to cover but they should have given people more notice about this and explained what they were considering before springing the news on everyone.
‘The States has an inflation rate target of around two and a half to three per cent and this is double that, which in turn is going to have its own effect on inflation, not to mention the elderly who are on fixed incomes.
Article posted on 2nd July, 2004 - 12.00am
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