SNP heading in wrong direction on fuel poverty

Responding to a new report by the Scottish Government's independent Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel, which states that it is extremely likely the Scottish Government will miss its target to reduce fuel poverty by 2030, with the number of households in fuel poverty having risen since the statutory targets were introduced in 2019, increasing from 24.6% to 34% in 2023, Scottish Liberal Democrat climate crisis spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP said:

“The SNP government’s response to fuel poverty has been truly terrible. Having already ditched earlier statutory targets, these figures show that Ministers continue to be heading in the wrong direction.

“Despite the misery caused by fuel poverty, the SNP have worked at a snail’s pace on insulation and other energy efficiency measures. Under their flagship scheme, it could take almost 100 years to insulate all eligible homes.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see a new nationwide insulation programme to meet the scale of the challenge. This would be a win-win, cutting emissions and household energy bills.”