Liberal Democrats claim Government has 'abandoned' off-grid homes
Liberal Democrat Jamie Stone MP has written a letter to the Prime Minister urging the Government to "provide off-grid households with energy support, via winter fuel payments, as a matter of urgency".
Support for off-grid homes energy support was previously announced to be available at the end of January, however the Government announced this week that the application date will be further delayed until the end of February and no support will reach eligible households until the end of March.
This includes both the £400 support that other houses have already been receiving via £66 instalments on their energy bills (Energy Bills Support Scheme) and the overdue £200 payment for households off the gas grid (Alternative Fuel Payment).
It means around 400,000 people without a domestic electricity supply contract, which includes families living in park homes and houseboats, will not receive any help with their winter fuel bills until the spring.
Jamie Stone, Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, commented:
“The Government’s dysfunction has proven to be the only thing that can be relied upon through this winter. Once again, they have shown themselves to be missing in action when it comes to the needs of my constituents by leaving off-grid households abandoned over a tough winter.
“It took the Government months to decided how to get money to the people who need it, only for them now to announce a further delay. Meanwhile people in the Highlands have faced rising costs in alternative heating fuels, and now there are real concerns that LPG prices could rise after changes to supply chains to Scotland.
“I am also concerned that there are still particular obstacles to delivering these payments in Scotland. Not only is there the high proportion of off-grid households, but also the Scottish Government’s decision to delay the census here by a year means that local authorities are working with potentially out-of-date information from 2011.”