Highland Council Calls On UK Government To Use Its Powers To Help Reduce Fuel Poverty
18th September 2020

The Highland Council is calling on the UK Government to help resolve the inequity of fuel poverty experienced in the Highlands of Scotland where people pay more for fuel and energy than other regions in the UK.
Leader of The Highland Council, Cllr Margaret Davidson has written to the UK Government's Minister of State (Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth) The Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP calling on the government to replace the current electricity distribution system with one that replicates that of gas and telecoms and share the cost of energy distribution equally across the UK.
At the latest meeting of The Highland Council, Members provided unanimous cross-party support for a motion which stated:
"This Council recognises from its own poverty and inequality data that large areas of the Highlands have over 70% and based on data provided by the CAB up to 90% of households in fuel poverty and commits to doing all in its power to resolve the inequity that has arisen due to the regional distribution charges for electricity provision.
"To that end this Council will write to the Minister of State (Minister for Business, Energy and Clean Growth) the Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP in support of the cross-party Early Day Motion EDM #552 that; calls on the Government to replace the current electricity distribution system with one that replicates that of gas and telecoms and share the cost of energy distribution equally across the UK."
Related Businesses
Related Articles
A further £20 million will speed up actions to make Scotland's buildings safe from dangerous cladding, Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan has announced. Publishing an update to the Cladding Remediation Programme action plan, Ms McAllan confirmed additional funding and expanded eligibility, setting out that social housing will now be eligible for remediation funding.
Caledonia North Offshore Wind Farm - construction and operation of an offshore wind farm comprising up to 77 turbines with a maximum blade tip height of 355m, subsea interconnector and export cabling and associated infrastructure. The north planning committee of Highland council will decide today 6 August 2025.
Following the high winds forecast and experienced due to Storm Floris, The Highland Council is encouraging landowners to check trees and vegetation near to public roads which may have been damaged. Landowners are also asked to check the drainage from their property that it is not blocked and overflowing onto public roads.
Representatives from across the Highlands are being invited to a meeting that will focus on the current provision and future of Community Transport. The event, organised and hosted by The Highland Council, will take place at Council HQ in Inverness on Wednesday 13 August.
Young people in the Highlands can call a dedicated helpline offering expert advice to anyone receiving their full Higher, National, and Advanced results on Tuesday, 5 August 2025. The pupils and students- along with their parents and carers - will be able to get support with their results through Skills Development Scotland's (SDS) Results Helpline, which opens from 8am on results day.
Wick Business Park has welcomed wind energy technology company ENERCON as the first occupant of one of four new units completed last year. ENERCON specialises in designing, producing, installing and servicing onshore wind turbines and has been operating in the Caithness area since 2013.
Additional empty homes officers are being recruited to bring more privately owned houses back into use. The new posts are being supported as part of a £2 million investment through the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership in 2025-26 which will see staff take a more proactive and targeted approach to tackling local housing issues.
The Highland Strategic Local Action Group (LAG) met in June 2025 and considered and agreed funding for 28 projects submitted to the Community-Led Local Development fund (CLLD), which makes up part of The Highland Council Community Regeneration Fund (CRF) programme. CRF is an umbrella term used to cover multiple external funding programmes administered by The Highland Council.
Highland Council has provided 12 ‘Talking Tub' resources for use in primary schools across the Highlands, in partnership with Union Technical who deliver community benefits as part of the Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme programme. Chair of Highland Council's Education Committee, Councillor John Finlayson, said: "This is a fantastic initiative being rolled out across Highland primary schools which brings innovation and inspiration to early years children.
Visitors will find it easier to dispose of their litter at several popular spots across Highland after the rollout of additional bins. The rollout has been planned to support the tourism season as part of the Council's ongoing commitment to improve and support sustainable tourism in the area.