UPDATE (11/7/22): Next Target Suggested: The Fuel Protests - Acting Locally With Residents and Workers... in a Town Called (Shepton) Mallet

The Protest At Shepton Mallet
Tesco Petrol Station
Photo courtesy of Chris Elliott

UPDATE (11/7/22): Target for second fuel protest suggested by organiser Chris Elliott. 

Mr Elliott said on his Wells Facebook group that "Wells you could be next". He reiterated his point made in the interview with us that this was nothing to do with Tesco.

Keep 'em peeled...

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Somerset Independents puts residents first. We encourage residents to stand up for themselves. And Somerset's residents say that they have had enough of the cost of fuel, on top of the huge increases in the cost of living. 

So we were delighted to see a group of Somerset residents take the initiative and organise a protest about the cost of fuel in Shepton Mallet yesterday, to co-ordinate with the national protests.

Our Leader Andrew Pope spoke to Christopher Elliott, part-time bus driver and organiser of the protest at the Tesco Petrol Station in Shepton Mallet. 

Chris Elliott on ITV News West Country
Protesting in Shepton Mallet

 

Here is some of what Mr Elliott said when Andrew asked him some questions about the protest:

Why did you feel that you had to organise this protest?

Obviously like a lot of people, I have to visit a fuel station once a week and I've seen the costs spiral in the last weeks and months and there is less disposable income now as well.

Why did you feel that you specifically had to organise it?

The reason being is obviously there was nationwide protests that I couldn't make, and there was nothing local to me that I could attend with my job being in the morning and the afternoon so I decided to organise something myself and something that I could support locally. So I could protest locally, that was the main reason for doing it really.

So you're local to Shepton?

Yes. I live in Shepton and I work local in Shepton as well. I run a couple of community pages as well and I used that format to organise the event.

So why did you specifically choose to do a protest at Shepton Mallet Tesco Petrol Station?

The only reason was because it was local to me. It wasn't targeted at Tesco's itself.  It was the nearest garage.

What are your goals for the protest?

Obviously it would be to lower the price of fuel. And I don't expect that to happen overnight. On a national level I want to show the Government and the oil companies that the normal working person in this country are not happy paying what they're paying at the moment. There's no reason for them to be charging what they're charging.

The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said that he will consider a bigger fuel duty cut. Do you believe him?

No, not really. I'd like to see it, even if it's a temporary cut. I also believe we need a watchdog like OFGEM monitoring the oil companies and these fuel stations to make sure they pass on any cuts. But no I don't believe it at the moment, to be honest.

Would you do another protest?

If you'd asked me yesterday morning, I would have said no. But everybody at the protest asked: "When was the next one?" So quite possible.

So you've got them railed up now?

Yes I think what the protesters need to do is that they need to take a step back, learn from what happened yesterday and maybe regroup and maybe all come together on one protest. I'm not sure what that will be, whether that would be blocking an oil refinery, I don't know, but I think something bigger needs to happen and step up the pressure.

 

Get in touch at the contact details at the link here and tell us what you think. 

Do you agree or disagree with the fuel protests, and why?

What do you think about the cost of fuel?

What do you think about the cost of living?

Tell us by getting in touch. Or by using the Contact Form on this website (on the left-hand-side).

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