Cole-Hamilton: Cut the cost of living with fairer heating and emergency insulation programme

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton has today used a visit to Kelso in the South of Scotland region to set out his party’s plans for bringing down the cost of living and launching a £100m emergency insulation programme to protect people from spikes in energy prices brought on by the Iran War.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat manifesto will cut energy bills and emissions, and tackle fuel poverty, by committing to:

• Make homes warmer and cheaper to heat with a new £100m emergency insulation programme with catch-up zones to give special attention to the areas furthest behind..
• Accelerate the rollout of smart climate-friendly heating systems, including heat pumps and district heating, backed by a Fairer Heating Bill.
• Re-write the rules so local people get much more of the money companies make from generating renewable energy near them.
• Quadrupling the amount of energy generated from solar in this Parliament, unlocking investment that will roll it out across rooftops, public buildings and car parks and bringing down bills.
• Supporting investment and innovation in tidal and wave power.
• Overseeing a new era of growth for pumped storage hydro.
• Remove the Scottish Government’s ideological opposition to nuclear to allow Scotland to explore the potential to host Small Modular Reactors.

Alex Cole-Hamilton said:

“Right now the number one thing people tell me that they are concerned about is the cost of living.

“Even before Donald Trump’s reckless war with Iran, people were paying far more for their energy than they were a few years ago.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats will bring down energy bills and protect you from volatile fossil fuel prices through an emergency insulation programme and by accelerating the rollout of smart climate-friendly heating and solar panels. We will use cheaper, cleaner energy to power Scotland securely. That will go hand-in-hand with re-writing community benefit rules so local people get much more of the money companies make from generating renewable energy near them.

“In many constituencies we are on the verge of winning against the SNP but wherever you are, every vote for the Scottish Liberal Democrats on the second peach ballot will deliver change with fairness at its heart.

“Scotland deserves better. And with the Scottish Liberal Democrats, you can vote for it.

Lead candidate for the South of Scotland region, Duncan Dunlop said:

“Scottish communities keep getting a raw deal.

“People have seen their energy bills double in the last decade, yet under the SNP’s latest plans the amount that developers are expected to chip in is actually lower in real terms than it was in 2014. Their plans are a recipe for the Scottish Government losing hearts and minds in rural communities.

“My party wants to unlock Scotland’s energy potential and use it to strengthen our communities, deliver energy security and build a rich legacy from our natural resources.

“We would overhaul the Scottish Government’s outdated guidance on community benefit so local people get much more of the money companies make from generating, storing and transmitting renewable energy near them, funding short and long-term investments in local economic development, housing and cutting energy bills.

“Scotland deserves better, and with the Scottish Liberal Democrats you can vote for it on your peach regional ballot paper.”