Fair Fuel Campaign appeals for E-petition support!

THE FAIR FUEL UK campaign has utilised the Government's new e-petitioning website to get its case for 'no fuel duty rises' to be debated in Parliament.

According to FairFuelUK then high fuel prices are hurting all of us: Supermarkets are seeing footfall and sales down as people drive to their stores less; people are filling up less resulting in more than 16,000 motorists running out of petrol on motorways; some motorists are giving up driving completely.

While some environmentalists will claim that the above affects of high fuel prices are not necessarily a bad thing, it is certainly the case that public behaviour is changing as a result. FairFuelUK's Quentin Wilson says on his Blog:

"Not only is the government's dogged reluctance to lower duty harming our economic growth but its changing our behaviour. Sometimes dangerously. One of those 16,000 people who ran out of petrol on a motorway was killed on the hard shoulder... FairFuelUK has been warning the government and Treasury for months that their fuel duty policy is having a huge social and economic cost. But they're not listening. That's why its critically important that we force a government debate by hitting the 100,000 signature mark"

FairFuelUK have already obtained over 200,000 signatures on their own petition about the subject, but are now calling for supporters to sign the Cheaper Petrol and Diesel E-petition on the Government website.

It will be interesting to see if the campaign reaches its target figure of 100,000 signatures and does indeed trigger a Parliamentary debate.

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MP pledges support for 'fuel duty stabiliser'

GRAHAM STUART MP has joined over 130 other MPs in urging the Government to implement a fuel duty stabiliser in the forthcoming budget.

Graham Stuart said: “Motorists find themselves paying ever higher prices at the pump. It is especially serious for those of us living in rural areas, where cars are essential, either for getting to work, doing the weekly shop, or even enjoying a weekend out with the family.”

And the MP added: “Small businesses are also exceptionally vulnerable to wildly unstable oil prices. I hope this Government, unlike the previous one, realises assaulting the motorist with unfair fuel duty increases is not the way to keep the wheels of the economy turning. That is why I have signed up to the FairFuelUK petition, calling for a fuel duty stabiliser and a decrease in the present level of duty. A solution must be found so already squeezed motorists are given a sorely needed break.”

FairFuelUK claim hundreds of thousands of people are behind its campaign to see any Fuel Duty hike scrapped and to see measures introduced to stabilise the cost of petrol and diesel at an affordable level. In addition to the 20,000 road freight companies that make up the Road Haulage Association and the Freight Transport Association, the 7 Million members of the RAC and the 140,000 supporters from the general public the campaign now have 136 MPs formally pledging support.

George Osborne is due to deliver his budget on 23 March when the campaigners hope a fuel duty stabiliser will be announced.

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