News / New task force to tackle fuel poverty
A NEWLY established Scottish Rural Fuel Poverty Task Force will have its inaugural meeting in Inverness on Thursday.
During a visit to neighbouring Orkney on Wednesday, Scottish housing minister Margaret Burgess said the task force would explore the issues facing people in fuel poverty and report back to the government.
The body will be led by Di Alexander, the chair of Highlands and Islands Housing Associations.
Recent research by Shetland Islands Council has found that more than a third of households in the isles live in fuel poverty, which is defined as spending more than 10 per cent of income on keeping a home warm.
A recent report from the Citizens Advice Bureau put that figure at 40 per cent for Shetland. Meanwhile almost 1,500 households in the isles spend more than 20 per cent on heating (extreme fuel poverty).
Fuel poverty and how to tackle it will be one of the items on the agenda for the September meeting of the newly formed local inequality commission.
The minister said: “By making sure people in the islands and in more rural parts of the country have the same chances to make their homes warmer, cheaper and easier to heat, we are tackling the inequalities that exist in our country.
“Our new Scottish Rural Fuel Poverty Task Force will come up with a range of ideas specifically tailored to help people in more remote parts of Scotland reduce their fuel costs and keep their homes warm.
“We are committed to making sure everyone has access to an affordable warm home, and we are investing heavily in energy efficiency schemes. Our £65 million for HEEPS: Area-Based Schemes is directed to those areas most in need of assistance, including our rural areas.”
Alexander added: “Affordable warmth is still presenting a major problem for far too many rural and island households, especially those living in doubly disadvantaged off-gas areas.
“The job of the task force is to come up with practicable and deliverable solutions to all aspects of the problem and I’m delighted that we will have so much problem-solving experience to draw upon when we set to our task.”
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