The Tredis Defibrillator Bill That Jumped From £144 to £1,400

If your village relies on a community defibrillator, the bill that keeps it switched on could change overnight. In Tredis, the yearly cost of running one rose from £144 to £1,400, almost ten times what the parish had been paying.

This week, Anna Gelderd MP met Sheviock Parish Council in Tredis to go through the problems the council had faced after the energy provider pushed the charge up. The increase had put access to lifesaving equipment at risk, and it took a nine-month effort to put right.

Anna Gelderd, Member of Parliament for South East Cornwall, said: “I am deeply concerned that access to lifesaving healthcare in South East Cornwall is under threat. Community defibrillators are a lifeline, particularly in our rural areas like Tredis. Time is truly of the essence when a defib is needed, so having one nearby, and residents having the necessary training, is crucial for saving lives in our rural communities.”

A bill that jumped tenfold

The trouble started ahead of Ofgem’s changes to unmetered supplies. The bill rose overnight, the parish council says, with no clear communication from the energy supplier. A run of errors then left the council facing a blunt choice. Pay up or disconnect.

Nancy Gray, clerk to Sheviock Parish Council, set out what happened on the council’s behalf.

“The issue arose in advance of Ofgem’s changes to unmetered supplies, when the bill skyrocketed overnight without clear communication from the energy supplier. This combined with further errors and lack of adaptability from one of Britain’s largest energy suppliers meant that, despite the shockingly inappropriate charges, we would still have to pay up or disconnect.”

The council took the case to the Ombudsman. It ruled that the energy provider should apologise and pay £350, but that did not move the parish any closer to a workable tariff.

“The Ombudsman ruled that the energy provider should apologise and award £350, however it was still unable to force them to offer a reasonable tariff solution moving forward,” Nancy Gray said. “This together with the backdated charges meant that there was no other viable option than to disconnect this unit, after a 9 month struggle to keep this life saving equipment in place.”

Nine months to keep it switched on

With the device close to being switched off, the council turned to its MP. Anna worked with the parish to hold the supplier to account, and the outcome changed.

“We contacted Anna and her team and to our relief the energy supplier has since cancelled the backdated charges, provided credit moving forward and a more appropriate contract,” Nancy Gray said. “The Tredis defib can therefore remain in service 24/7 for the community.”

Anna said she had gone to see the device for herself. “That’s why I visited the defib in Tredis, so that I could speak with representatives from Sheviock Parish Council about the issues that they have been experiencing and to discuss how essential it is that we continue to have defibrillator access in our communities.”

What other community groups can do

This is not the first time Anna has stepped in over a community defibrillator. She previously backed local people in Trenewan who faced a similar threat to their device.

Any community group running into the same problem with an energy supplier can contact Anna and her team by email at [email protected].

📷Anna with representatives from Sheviock Parish Council in Tredis