Sark’s government has told the island’s sole electricity provider that it won’t be paying either of the additional levies being added to bills from this month.
This includes any additional electricity charges imposed at critical island infrastructure including the harbours, medical centre, ambulance shed, school, and more.
Chief Pleas has also said it will resist any attempt by Sark Electricity Limited to disconnect its supplies or to put in pre-payment meters at any of the locations named below.
In a letter sent to the directors of SEL, and shared with Express, Chief Pleas has said that “if any such levy is included in any bill issued by SEL next month in respect of the provision of electricity to any such premises, it shall not be paid”.
The list of premises includes island borehole pumps maintained by Chief Pleas, as Sark’s water supply is dependent on electricity.
The island’s sewage plant, incinerator, quarry, and abattoir are also listed in the facilities that Chief Pleas will refuse to pay any additional electricity levies for over the coming weeks or months until the situation is resolved.
SEL announced in August that it would be adding 60p per unit to all accounts from 1 September to pay for its legal fight against the planned compulsory purchase by Chief Pleas, and to fund a legal challenge against any attempt by the Sark Electricity Price Commissioner to make it remove that first legal levy.
With the respective 40p and 20p per unit charges combined, the levies more than doubled the price of electricity in Sark in one go.
Alan Witney-Price said the additional money collected through the two levies would be held by a third party for use in the legal challenges only, and any left over would be returned to customers on a ‘first in first out’ basis once the situation is resolved.
The Sark Electricity Price Commissioner has already said the two charges are “very clearly, neither fair nor reasonable”.
Shane Lynch published his ‘preliminary conclusions’ following a hastily arranged investigation into two levies that were announced last month and added on to customers’ bills from 1 September.
He said he couldn’t do anything to stop the immediate price rises but is instead following a statutory process which could see a price control order imposed from the beginning of October instead.
The Seigneur has called the levies “ludicrous” while business owners in Sark have said they are having to limit opening hours to reduce their power usage.
Anyone who is likely to struggle to pay the increased electricity charges was encouraged to speak to Chief Pleas in the first instance.