It is very positive news that Northern Powergrid say they believe all power has now been restored.
Much of the damaged network is now supported by
large generators, pending full scale repair, so the replacement will be
complicated and will take time.
However, I am aware there may be a few isolated
homesteads which are stuff affected, or whose systems trip.
If you are not reconnected, please call 105 or
email the assistance email stormarwen@northernpowergrid.com.
Northern Power Grid’s communications are getting better (it could not have been
worse than before!).
If you are still having issues getting through to
Northern Powergrid, please contact my office – 01434 239 205, or guy.opperman@parliament.uk.
I have made clear to Northern Powergrid that an
urgent approach to compensation is needed. People cannot be expected to wait
months for compensation, and I will be holding further discussions with the
company in coming days to discuss this.
I want to say a huge thank you to so many: the
engineers reconnecting power in very tough weather. The local businesses,
generator providers, and also local community who have helped out their
neighbours.
There will be lessons learnt about the resilience
of our network to cope with more extreme weather, and a proper inquiry by Ofgem
and others on how power companies can improve communications, support when the
network goes down, and much more.
WHAT ARE YOU
ENTITLED TO?
Statutory
Compensation
You will
receive £70 for the first 48 hours of the power outage, plus an additional £140
for each additional day. This compensation was previously limited to £700, but
the government have announced that Ofgem have removed this cap.
You should
contact Northern Powergrid to claim this compensation within 3 months of the
supply being fixed. This means that claims should be made by early March at the
latest.
Additional
Compensation
Northern
Powergrid have confirmed to me that they will provide additional financial
assistance to any domestic customer still off supply from 29th November
This includes
the reasonable cost of alternative accommodation, and food for up to £15 per
person, per meal, and other reasonably incurred costs, for example, where a
customer has arranged their own back-up generator.
You should keep
receipts for this. However, I have urged Northern Powergrid to be flexible when
it comes to this, particularly around the start of the outages.
HOW CAN YOU
CLAIM COMPENSATION?
Northern
Powergrid have asked their customers to submit receipts and expenses via: StormArwen@northernpowergrid.com.
I have received
a commitment from Northern Powergrid that they will write to all customers
explaining the compensation they are entitled to. These letters will go out
soon, but I will continue to fight for families in financial hardship at this
very difficult time.
Best wishes,
Guy