SSP campaigns against fuel poverty

Portmahomack: a beautiful spot on the Cromarty coast, but many households in the north face hidden fuel poverty

One of the issues which has arisen time and again as we speak to voters in the Highlands and Islands region is that of fuel poverty.

It is a disgrace that in a wealthy country such as Scotland, rich in natural resources in the form of both fossil fuels such as oil, coal and gas and in potential renewable energy sources, households across the Highlands worry about paying fuel bills.

In the cold winter we have just experienced many of our most vulnerable citizens, including thousands of pensioners and disabled people, were forced to choose between heating their homes and other basic necessities such as food and transport.

The SSP would bring Scotland’s energy resources into public ownership – taking North Sea oil and gas out of the hands of multinational corporations and using the profits for the common good of all, as is the case in Norway.

We believe there is huge potential for the development of community-owned wind farms and tidal energy projects in the Highlands and Islands which would not only benefit the environment but would end fuel poverty once and for all.