Andy Burnham writes for Metro: ‘Now it’s time to rewire Britain’

For many families, the energy bill is the one they dread the most.

I’m determined to bring costs down for good over time. But I know people can’t wait. Families need help now.

That’s why, this week, we have removed VAT from electricity bills. This will give families a bit of breathing room over this winter, saving households about £45 over the year.

We are also capping bus fares at £2, banning rip-off discounts, ending subscription traps, tackling the cost of school uniforms, and cutting business rates for the pubs, social clubs and music venues that keep our towns going.

And this is just the start.

I know none of these are a silver bullet when families are having such a hard time. But I will continue to do everything I can to help in the short-term as we make the bigger changes this country needs for the future.

I want to be honest about how we’ve got to a place where British billpayers are paying some of the highest energy costs in Europe.

Over the past 40 years, we’ve given up control of our necessities, outsourced our essentials and privatised the basics. Water, transport, housing. And of course, energy.

Now the public are paying the price. We haven’t invested in the infrastructure we need. Conflict overseas has pushed up energy costs and it’s hurting our businesses and families.

That’s why we need to take back greater control of our energy system.

This week, I announced Great British Grid, which will speed up connections and push down bills.

We’re also giving mayors, local leaders and communities a stronger role. With funding for People’s Power projects, communities will be able to build solar panels on libraries and town halls, hydro schemes in rivers or publicly owned windfarms on local land.

But it’s not just energy we need stronger public control over. It’s also water, housing, transport and care.

So we’re repealing the ban on public ownership of water companies. We’re building more council homes than this country has seen since the end of World War Two.

We’re reforming the leasehold system so families aren’t squeezed for every penny. And we’re opening up home ownership for first time buyers who can’t rely on the bank of mum and dad.

This week I also announced my determination to introduce a National Care Service, to put people above profit and to give pensioners peace of mind.

Together, we’ll rewire the country from top to bottom so that it works for all people in all places.

That is the only way to put Britain back on the right path. It’s the only way to put power back in people’s hands. And it’s the only way we will bring hope again.