Thousands missing out on warm home discount, says Highlands and Islands MSP Rhoda Grant
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A regional MSP is calling for the UK government to make it easier for people in the Highlands to get help to pay for heating.
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant is concerned at the level of fuel poverty across the Highlands and Islands.
She fears thousands of people could be missing out on a Warm Home Discount scheme which can result in a £140 reduction for electricity bills over the winter months.
Her worries come as the UK government plans to change the scheme by making customers of smaller energy suppliers eligible to apply.
A threshold of a minimum of 200,000 customers this winter will be lowered to 150,000 in winter 2020/21.
But in a letter to Mrs Grant, the UK government’s business minister Kwasi Kwarteng acknowledged the changes would stilll leave about 1.35 million customers not covered by the scheme.
“It is very concerning that there still might be thousands of people missing out on this discount every year just because their energy supplier is not a registered participant in the scheme,” Mrs Grant said.
“The UK government must support a move towards ensuring mandatory participation in the scheme for all energy suppliers, regardless of customer numbers, to ensure that there is a level playing field and that no household misses out on this valuable discount which could mean the difference between heating and eating for many.
“With one in four households across the Highlands and Islands living in fuel poverty, both the Scottish and UK governments must do everything they can to reverse this scandal and ensure that everyone can afford to heat their homes, expanding the Warm Home Discount to all energy suppliers would be a step in the right direction.”
Mr Kwarteng pointed out an Energy Company Obligation domestic energy efficiency scheme was available, regardless of supplier, and that homes in the Highlands and Islands had benefitted from it.
