LABOUR is to call for a new target to eliminate fuel poverty after the Scottish Government failed to meet its pledge to eradicate the problem. The party will use an upcoming Holyrood debate to urge MSPs across the chamber to back an “ambitious” new goal. Earlier this month, Housing Minister Kevin Stewart announced an extra £10 million to tackle fuel poverty, currently defined as households spending 10 per cent of their income on heating. Ministers had pledged to eradicate the problem by November 2016 but the latest figures show around 845,000 households – or 35 per cent of homes in Scotland – are still affected, with almost half of those pensioners.
Herald 13th Nov 2016 read more »