One in ten Scots in fuel poverty

MORE than one in ten people in Scotland are living in fuel poverty, according to government 
figures obtained by shadow energy minister Tom Greatrex.

The Westminster MP challenged the SNP and the Scottish Government, saying more should be done to reach people struggling to pay their bills.

Figures show 658,000 people in Scotland are living in fuel 
poverty – defined by spending more than 10 per cent of household income paying for gas and electricity. Around 12.5 per cent of the population are struggling - which is higher than anywhere else in the UK.

Greatrex said: “This is a damning indictment of the SNP’s five years of failure in tackling fuel poverty, and a clear example of skewed priorities. When the SNP cut the fuel poverty budget in 2011, that was their decision for which they should be held to account.

“With the threat of more price increases from energy firms, there may well be more pain on the way for already hard-pressed families across Scotland.”

A spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government has a raft of measures in place to support families most in need, and has allocated a £65 million budget to tackle fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency in 2012/13 – up from £53 million in 2011/12. Between 2009/10 and 2011/12, 62,000 homes benefited from loft insulation, 25,000 had cavity wall insulation installed and over 54,000 were referred for new central heating systems and insulation under Scottish Government schemes.Scotland is an energy-rich 
nat­ion and people should live in warm, comfortable homes.

“That is why we are continuing to lobby the UK Government to take a firmer stance with our energy companies.”