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21
Mar 2023
Call for review into ‘grossly unfair’ fuel price disparities in North Yorkshire
A councillor has called on the government to intervene on fuel prices because some motorists in North Yorkshire are paying 10p per litre more on petrol or diesel than others.
The Competition and Markets Authority found last summer there were “significant differences in price” between forecourts across the UK.
The issue was raised during a recent meeting of North Yorkshire County Council's Skipton and Ripon area constituency committee.
Nick Brown, the Conservative councillor for Wathvale and Bishop Monkton, said he was surprised to recently pay £1.359p for a litre of fuel at Bishop Auckland in County Durham whereas in Boroughbridge the price was 10p more expensive.
Cllr Brown asked Julian Smith, the Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon, if he could lobby the government to launch a review into the issue.
He said:
Mr Smith said:
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The main factor for petrol prices is whether there is much competition nearby, including from supermarkets who offer cheaper fuel.
Companies that run petrol stations in remote locations also argue they sell less fuel so have to charge higher prices to cover their overheads.
Fuel prices have remained high since the Russian invasion of Ukraine although they have fallen since last year when petrol and diesel could be bought for over £2 a litre for the first time ever.
Asda petrol station on Dragon Road during the fuel supply crisis in September 2021.
In last week’s budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt extended a 5p cut in fuel duty for another 12 months.
Andrew Williams, independent councillor for Ripon Minister and Moorside, said “there’s no competition” for fuel in Ripon, which has meant motorists at the pump have suffered.
He said:
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