Christian Allard MSP for the North East of Scotland
With thanks to Gavin Mowat.
SNP MSPs Alex Salmond, Dennis Robertson and Christian Allard have welcomed an allocation of £3,233,000 for Aberdeenshire households from the Home Energy Efficiency Programme. The scheme provides grant funding to local authorities to develop and deliver local fuel poverty programmes.
Additional funding for Aberdeenshire comes as part of £103 million investment to tackle fuel poverty across Scotland in 2015/16.
This includes a new £14 million loans scheme which will offer homeowners interest-free loans of up to £10,000 for energy efficiency measures.
The SNP Government will also launch the next phase of its Cashback scheme which will see £10 million made available to homeowners and private tenants, and £5 million for social landlords.
Through the scheme, private sector households will be able to claim up to £5,800 for installations recommended by an energy advice report, and households on remote areas will be entitled to greater amounts to cover the increased costs they face.
Both the Cashback and Loans scheme will open on April 13. Advice for applicants will be available on the Home Energy Scotland website or at 0808 808 2282.
Local SNP MSPs welcomed these measures which will help protect vulnerable families throughout Aberdeenshire from the effects of high energy costs.
Commenting, Aberdeenshire East MSP Alex Salmond said:
“It is unacceptable that anyone should have to suffer from fuel poverty – that is why the SNP in Government is investing £103 million to tackle the issue.
“More than £3 million will go a long way towards making valuable energy efficiency improvements to homes throughout Aberdeenshire.
“I would urge homeowners in Aberdeenshire struggling with their heating bills to find out about their options from Home Energy Scotland – and apply for an interest free loan when they become available later this month.”
Dennis Robertson, Aberdeenshire East MSP, added:
“That anyone should be in fuel poverty in Scotland is an absolute scandal and it is encouraging to see the SNP Government take steps to tackle this issue.
“Constituents contact me regularly to ask for advice regarding fuel poverty and it will be great to be able to reassure them that the Scottish Government are fully aware of this issue and are ready to help those in need.”
North East MSP Christian Allard said:
“This additional funding is very welcome for the North East and is another example of the SNP’s desire to tackle fuel poverty.
“The new loan scheme will give homeowners the opportunity to apply for interest free loans which will make it easier for them to take action to install energy efficiency measures.
“Fuel poverty has no place in Modern Scotland and this action will go some way to resigning it to the history books.”
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I think most of would prefer to hear how the SNP would protect us from the crippling and unprecedented Greek style austerity programme, which would be necessitated by their proposed policy of full fiscal autonomy and the undisputed £7.6 billion annual deficit this would result in.
One might think they would be extolling the benefits of such de facto independence, yet it seems to be the SNP policy which dare not speak it’s name.