UK's Sunak has electrical grid refitted to accommodate his heated pool

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
14 Mar 2023 08:50

UK's Rishi Sunak is enjoying his leisure heated pool while thousands of Brits are cutting down on energy.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak listens as he meets with President Joe Biden at Naval Base Point Loma, Monday, March 13, 2023, in San Diego. (AP)

A report on Tuesday criticized UK's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for making electrical upgrades amid the energy crisis, which forced thousands of Brits to cut down on energy due to surging prices.

A half-million-pound heated swimming pool installed on Sunak's manor state swallows so much energy that workers had to upgrade the local electrical grid to accommodate it, according to the report.

While residents across the United Kingdom struggle to cut down on their energy consumption, "extra equipment was recently installed in a remote part of North Yorkshire to provide extra capacity from the National Grid to the prime minister’s constituency home," per UK media.

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It was reported that “engineers had to install a substantial amount of equipment and a new connection to the National Grid that runs across open fields” following “Sunak’s construction of a new heated swimming pool, gym, and tennis court in the grounds of the manor house he occupies at weekends."

As local pools cut down on their operating hours due to surging energy costs, construction work on the prime minister's 40-foot swimming pool is reportedly wrapping up, sparking outrage across the nation because of rising energy prices brought on by anti-Russian sanctions adopted by the government.

A report was released this week by the UK's Office for National Statistics, which found that "electricity prices in the UK rose by 66.7% and gas prices by 129.4% in the 12 months leading up to January 2023," and that almost 60% of adults are using less fuel in their homes because of the rising cost of living.

Local vs. royal

Only 30 min away from the prime minister's £2 million estate in North Yorkshire is a local swimming pool that announced last month that it will be reducing or eliminating public access due to the soaring costs of energy.

A House of Commons culture select committee reportedly suggested this week that “350 pools had closed or cut their hours as a result of energy costs.”

The regional director for an industry group called Community Leisure UK (CLUK), Chris Porter, which represents the operators of 880 pools across the country, reportedly said that at the facility he runs, "electricity costs have gone up by £7,500 per month,” adding, “that’s just for one site.”

Porter told UK media that there is a 200% rise in utility costs across the board and are far from facing the problems. She added that without the government's support, communities will suffer, and peoples' health and well-being will suffer. “Once swimming pools close, it’s incredibly difficult to ever reopen them,” Porter added.

Reuters reported in February that the combined bills of energy crisis relief funds aimed at shielding households and companies from excruciating energy bills in all European countries have nearly reached a total of 800 billion euros, citing researchers from German think-tank Bruegel.

According to the data, the European bloc allocated about 681 billion euros for its energy relief program, the UK spent about 103 billion euros, and Norway alone spent an estimated 8.1 billion since September 2021, totaling overall 792 billion euros.