Councils working on policy for heating oil support

Councils working on policy for heating oil supportJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleNathan Briant,South of England andEllie Tutt,BBC Radio BerkshireGetty ImagesHeating oil is used by 3.6% of all households across the countryA decision by councils in Berkshire on how to distribute financial support for people reliant on heating oil will take some time despite government confirming extra aid.Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer announced last month that £53m will be distributed nationwide after prices soared as a result of the US-Israel war with Iran.But local authorities must draft policies on how they will distribute their share of the money to the people who need it, before getting council approval.Stuart McKellar, executive director of resources at Bracknell Forest Council said, "as it is a new scheme, the details on how and where the funding will be used is still being determined."It is estimated up to 30,000 households across Berkshire use heating oil, with 3.6% of households nationally reliant on the fuel.Unlike consumers who use gas and electricity for heating and hot water, prices for households using oil are not capped by regulator Ofgem.Jonathan Pinnock, director at Thatcham-based JPS Fuels, said its prices doubled in a week after the war started in February."Obviously, we are a business, we had to pass the costs on," he said."Everyone who ordered before the war kicked off got their fuel at the price that was agreed but for us generally it's made our lives a lot more difficult."At the moment we can't offer fixed pricing because the oil market is just so volatile."Getty ImagesIt is thought tens of thousands of households in Berkshire use heating oilThe government's £1bn Crisis and Resilience Fund was launched on 1 April.That replaced the temporary Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments.The government said the Crisis and Resilience Fund will provide a "single, streamlined grant cutt...