Rt Hon Sir Julian Smith KCB CBE MP has joined fellow Conservative MPs in writing to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) urging it to launch an urgent investigation into the heating oil supply market.
The cross-party letter raises serious concerns about pricing practices affecting households that rely on heating oil, particularly in rural communities where there are often few or no alternative suppliers.
Many homes across rural North Yorkshire depend on heating oil to keep warm during the colder months. The MPs warn that a lack of price transparency, limited competition, and reports of exploitative practices may be causing significant consumer harm.
The letter highlights three major concerns: reports of price gouging during periods of international instability, local monopolies that make price comparison difficult, and cases where customers on automatic top-up delivery schemes have allegedly been charged substantially more than prevailing market rates.
Commenting, Julian said, “Many rural households in our area rely on heating oil, and they deserve to know they are being treated fairly.
“I have joined colleagues in calling on the Competition and Markets Authority to launch an urgent investigation into the heating oil supply market after reports of price gouging, cancelled deliveries being reoffered at higher prices, and elderly customers being overcharged. Rural families should not be left vulnerable to unfair practices simply because they have fewer options for heating their homes.”
The MPs have asked the CMA to investigate the market under Section 131 of the Enterprise Act 2002, with a particular focus on pricing transparency, competition between suppliers, and protections for vulnerable consumers.
You can read the full letter here.
