West of England residents are losing out in the "grossly unfair" postcode lottery on electricity standing charges, says Metro Mayor Dan Norris, who is calling on the Government to step in to level the playing field.

According to new data released by Ofgem, the amount local people in the West will pay in electricity standing charges will rise to 49p a day from April - up 25p a day - a whopping 101% increase. In contrast, in London, the rise is just 8p a day.

Standing charges are a daily fee for electricity added to your bill regardless of how much energy you use.

In a letter to the Government, Metro Mayor Dan Norris called on them to step in to take corrective action to protect West of England households. He said: "The "line rental" for electricity is going through the roof in the West of England. But that's not true everywhere. We aren't asking for special treatment but for the pain to be spread fairly across the UK. It's just not fair otherwise. Already local people are facing eye-watering energy bills. It shouldn't be the case that you have to pay even more based simply on where we live. But sadly, this fits a pattern with this Government.

"Whether it is the failure to protect rural users of heating oil, the refusal to properly fund buses long term and now whacking West of England households with higher energy costs, local people continue to pay the price for the Government's wanton disregard for our region. In the West of England, so-called 'levelling up' is too often a mirage. Fairness demands a lot more levelling - not necessarily up - but across towards us, here in the West of England. The Government must end this energy postcode lottery now".

Below is the price per day for a single rate electricity meter from April 2022 by region in order of percentage charge (high to low)

• North Wales & Merseyside: up 23p a day to 45p - 102% increase
• South Western: up 25p a day to 49p - a 101% increase
• Southern Scotland: up 24p a day to 47p - a 100% increase
• South Wales: up 22p a day to 46p - a 94% increase
• Midlands: up 22p a day to 46p - a 92% increase
• East Midlands: up 20p a day to 43p - an 88% increase
• Northern: up 21p a day to 46p - an 85% increase
• North Scotland: up 22p a day to 48p - a 83% increase
• Yorkshire: up 21p a day to 46p - an 81% increase
• Southern: up 18p a day to 41p - an 80% increase
• South East: up 17p a day to 40p - a 73% increase
• North West: up 17p a day to 40p - 73% increase
• Eastern: up 13p a day to 36p - a 58% increase
• London: up 8p a day to 31p - a 38% increase