Fuel poverty task force announced
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A new group has been established to find ways of making it easier and more affordable for people in rural and remote Scotland to heat their homes, following an announcement made here in Orkney today.
The Scottish Rural Fuel Poverty Task Force, which will have its inaugural meeting in Inverness tomorrow, Thursday, will explore the issues facing people in fuel poverty and prepare a report on its findings over the next year.
Housing and Welfare Minister Margaret Burgess made the announcement on a visit to Orkney today, where she met the Orkney Islands Council to discuss the Home Energy Efficiency Programmes for Scotland: Area Based Schemes (HEEPS:ABS).
She also got a first glimpse of the development of the Black Building brownfield site outside Kirkwall which has received £220,000 funding from the Scottish Government to provide police accommodation, council and affordable housing.
Orkney received £1.34 million through HEEPS:ABS this year with the scheme set to help 230 households on the island access improvements like solid wall, cavity and loft insulation.
The latest Scottish House Condition Survey statistics found that 58 per cent of households in Orkney were classified as being in fuel poverty in December 2013, compared to the national fuel poverty level of 39.1 per cent.
• As part of her summer tour of Orkney Mrs Burgess also met staff and participants at Orkney Blide Trust, to find out about some of the services being provided by the trust to promote and support mental health and wellbeing, with the assistance of the Scottish Government’s People and Communities Fund.