North Cornwall MP Dan Rogerson has urged the Government to do “everything it can” to slash the price of petrol and diesel on local forecourts by five pence per litre.
Rogerson has long been a campaigner for the rural fuel duty rebate scheme (which reduces the tax paid on petrol and diesel for island communities including the Scillies) to be introduced to sparsely populated areas of mainland Cornwall.
The Government’s Mid-Term Review was published on Monday and assessed the progress made in implementing the coalition’s Programme for Government. It also highlights a new set of planned reforms, including a commitment to look at “the case for extending the rural fuel discount scheme to remote mainland communities.”
Rogerson said: “I know from speaking to local families and businesses that the price of fuel is a huge issue for a lot of people.
“Where using a car is a necessity and not a luxury, it is right that the price is lower to reflect the fact that people need to use their cars to get to work, to the shops or to take their kids to school.
“Last year I urged the Chancellor to axe the previous Government’s planned rise in fuel duty, which he did, but there is still more that can be done to help lower the price of petrol and diesel in rural areas like ours.”
