The team at Kings Tamerton Community Centre are celebrating, after local MP Fred Thomas successfully intervened in a dispute with their energy supplier and recouped £76,000 in energy bills.
Kings Tamerton Community Centre is at the heart of the community and puts on fun days, entertainment, bingo and coffee mornings, as well as running a bar. The team there were left shocked when, in 2018, EDF got in touch to tell them their meter hadn’t been working properly since 2011 and sent a revised bill for £80,000 that was based on estimated values.
Despite making numerous complaints, EDF insisted that the centre was liable for the charges and they set up a payment plan on top of their monthly bills to begin paying it back. In June this year they still had £29,000 to pay, but were struggling to pay and faced risk of closure.
It was then that they contacted two of their local Labour councillors, who escalated the matter to Mr Thomas.
Mr Thomas raised the matter with EDF, and identified that the charges should be reviewed under Ofgem’s back billing legislation. Not taking no for an answer, they kept the pressure on EDF who finally accepted that back billing rules should apply.
What is back billing?
Back billing rules protect customers from being charged for energy they used more than 12 months ago when the mistake is the supplier’s fault. This means that if a company has failed to send accurate bills, or has made errors with meters or account details, they can only ask for payment covering the most recent year and not several years of usage. The protection applies to households and many small organisations, such as community centres, ensuring people aren’t unfairly penalised for problems outside their control.
This has resulted in EDF crediting Kings Tamerton Community Centre’s account by £76,000, putting them £50,000 in credit and saving them from closure.
Reactions To the News
Reacting to the news Fred Thomas, MP for Plymouth Moor View, said:
“I am just over the moon for Jessica, Steve, and the whole team at Kings Tamerton Community Centre.
“It was clear to me that EDF had acted poorly in this matter – the error should have been recognised and rectified earlier, rather than punishing a much-loved community centre for something they could do nothing about.
“The team at Kings Tamerton Community Centre do such a brilliant job, and the last few months have been a really stressful time for them, but now they can get on with focusing on what they do best!
“I’m looking forward to popping in to celebrate properly with the team soon.”
Steve Anniss, bar chairperson at Kings Tamerton Community Centre, said:
“The committee and members of the Kings Tamerton Community Centre would like to thank Fred Thomas and his team for the help that they have given us by dealing with our energy provider.
They have saved the club from certain closure and ensured that we will be able to carry on serving the community for a long time to come.
“Special thanks go to his team – Jon, Josh and Chelsea for meeting us and contacting the provider, and resolving the problem so quickly to rid us of a debt that has been hanging over us for seven years.”
“The bar committee have spent two years trying to deal with this and we and the rest of the community can now benefit from and enjoy the centre again.”
Cllr Josh McCarty, Labour councillor for St Budeaux ward, said:
“This centre is a lifeline for so many residents and this outcome ensures it can continue serving local people without the burden of impossible costs.
“This is a clear example of what can be accomplished when local Labour councillors and MPs work together with determination and a shared commitment to the people we represent.”
Cllr Jon Dingle, Labour councillor for St Budeaux Ward, said:
“I’m very happy that by working together with Fred and his team we have been able to help this vital community resource to keep operating by getting these costs squashed.
“Dedicated community spaces are at a premium so we must do whatever we can to safeguard them going forward.”
