Earlier today Sheryll Murray MP wrote a letter to the Rt Hon George Osborne MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer regarding fuel prices in the budget. She wrote:
Dear George,
I am writing to you to consider the position over taxation of fuel in the budget. I appreciate that the terrible and perilous situation that the last government has left us in does not leave the room to manoeuvre any of us would like, but the fuel situation is getting extremely worrying and is causing many of my constituents great hardship.
The car is not just a luxury, for many people in rural areas like South East Cornwall, it is a necessity. In rural areas such as ours many cannot just nip round the corner to the local shop, cannot expect our children to walk to school or jump on a bus to work. Distances to local amenities can be a lot longer and many need the 4x4 to get about which are simply a luxury in the city. To put it into perspective we have, in Cornwall, local Councillors who travel over 50 miles, a similar distance from Westminster to Oxford, to attend the Council offices.
I am also very concerned over the risk of cost push inflation from the rising cost of fuel. This inflation will hit everyone. We have asked for pay freezes and see many on fixed incomes who will be much worse off if we do not act.
Many of my constituents have contacted me about this key issue and have told me how they struggle to fill their tank on a day to day basis.
There is no doubt that changes in taxation and legislation which relate to the car hit the person who lives in a more rural area much harder than those in the city who frequently have a transport choice. Please bear this in mind in your budget considerations.
Yours sincerely
Sheryll Murray MP