Heating oil prices triple for rural Flintshire households
Pensioners and low-income families in Trelawnyd, Flintshire, have seen the cost of heating oil rise from £300 to almost £800 for 500 litres.
In Ynys Môn, Citizens Advice Cymru reported one resident being quoted £1,000 to fill their tank, up from £370 just two months previously.
The Welsh Government responded the same afternoon, raising the level of financial support available for off-grid households.
The figures were put to Cabinet Secretary Ken Skates in the Senedd today by Mark Isherwood MS (Conservative, North Wales), who described the situation as “an overnight crisis for rural families.”
“Last week, I was contacted on behalf of pensioners and low-income families in Trelawnyd and surrounding areas in Flintshire, whose heating oil price had risen from £300 to almost £800 for 500 litres, and who are struggling to fill their tanks,” Mr Isherwood said.
Mr Isherwood said 53 per cent of Ynys Môn households and 49 per cent of those in Gwynedd are not connected to mains gas, leaving around 100,000 homes across Wales dependent on heating oil for warmth and hot water.
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice Jane Hutt published a written statement during the same session, confirming a temporary increase in Discretionary Assistance Fund support for off-grid fuel. The amount available per award for heating oil has been raised from £500 to £750 while prices are inflated.
Households can now apply twice in a rolling 12-month period, with a minimum gap of three months between claims.
In the statement, Ms Hutt said: “With the ongoing conflict in the Middle East causing uncertainty across global markets, we recognise that many people are struggling with the cost-of-living, particularly households who rely on oil for their domestic heating and hot water.”
The Welsh Government said it welcomes the £3.8 million announced by the UK Government for Wales in 2026-27 and is “considering how best to deploy it.” Separately, funding has also been allocated to the Fuel Bank Foundation’s national heat fund scheme, which provides fuel vouchers for oil and gas deliveries to households not connected to the main gas network.
The Discretionary Assistance Fund is open to anyone with an address in Wales aged over 16 who is experiencing unexpected financial crisis.
Applications must be made through DAF partners, which include local authorities, third sector organisations, welfare rights bodies, and MPs and Senedd Members. An additional £1 million has been added to the DAF this year, bringing the total fund to £39.5 million.
Mr Isherwood had questioned whether the support would reach people on low incomes who are not receiving benefits, including those on ill-health pensions.
He also asked whether Wales would match Scotland’s approach, noting the Scottish Government had indicated it would more than double the £4.6 million offered to Scotland from the UK support package.
Ms Hutt confirmed she had met the UK Minister for Energy Consumers the same day to express thanks for the support funding and to press for action on market regulation.
She told the Senedd there is currently no regulator for the off-grid fuel market, and that she had raised the need for one directly with the UK Government.
She asked MSs and MPs to share the written statement as widely as possible and to encourage struggling households to contact Advice Link Cymru’s Claim what’s yours helpline to check what financial support they are entitled to.
Ms Hutt said: “Today’s announcement will provide immediate extra help for those in greatest need to deal with the rise in oil prices.”
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