Just 2% of Highland homes benefit from heating scheme, says MP Jamie Stone
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A fuel poverty scheme introduced by the Scottish Government nine years ago has helped just over two per cent of households across the Highlands, according to far north MP Jamie Stone.
He said figures from Warmer Homes Scotland showed the initiative helped 2357 households in the Highland area with energy efficiency measures since it was launched in 2015.
Earlier this year, the Scottish Housing Conditions Survey found that 791,000 households across the country were estimated to be in fuel poverty in 2022, representing a rise of 23 per cent from 2019.
The Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP said: "We are now the best part of a decade on from the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme launch and only two per cent of households in this area have been helped. In the meantime, bills have skyrocketed and many households have been left struggling to afford heating.
"I encourage people to make use of schemes like this to reduce their bills and also have a positive impact on climate change. Indeed, those involved in delivering these schemes and offering practical help are doing good work. However, the Scottish Government's own commitment to this scheme does not match the urgency of combating fuel poverty.”
The Liberal Democrat MP added: "If the Scottish Government had acted more urgently, then many more households could have been protected. It's time to get serious about the scale of the challenge and invest in a national programme of home insulation."
The issue was raised in the Scottish Parliament by Willie Rennie, the MSP for North East Fife, who wanted to know how many households received support through the Warmer Homes Scotland programme in each financial year of its operation, broken down by local authority area.
He was told last week by then Green minister, Patrick Harvie, that the first phase of the scheme began in September 2015, and closed to new applicants on March 31, 2023. The second phase was launched in October 2023.
The figures for the Highland area shows that 2357 households were helped by the initiative while the numbers for Orkney and Shetland were 273 and 331 respectively.
