Do you remember when the gas meter looked like this. And it took pennies and “single shillings” to get the lights back on?
By Lucy Ashton
Jackie Baillie has welcomed Labour’s commitment to plans aimed at keeping energy bills low which would benefit all 2.5 million households in Scotland – including off-grid households.
In order to tackle the impact of the cost of living crisis, Labour recently announced they would bring in fully-funded measures to reduce the expected price rise to energy bills in April – saving most households around £200 or more.
But targeted extra support to squeezed middle, pensioners and the lowest earners, receiving up to £600 off bills would also be introduced, paid for through a one-off windfall tax on North Sea Oil and Gas producers who have profited from price rises.
Labour have confirmed that all 2.5 million households in Scotland will benefit from the plan – including all 417,000 homes off the gas grid and the 215,000 households who use heating fuels other than from the gas and electricity grid. Those off-grid households will benefit by up to £600.
Figures compiled by Energy Action Scotland previously showed that on average 24 percent of households in Scotland are facing fuel poverty, although that the figure in West Dunbartonshire is 29 percent rising to 32 percent in Argyll and Bute.
Fuel poverty is defined by the Scottish Government as any household spending more than 10 percent of their income on energy – after housing costs have been deducted.
Jackie Baillie MSP said: “Labour’s fully-funded plan to save Scots on their energy bills is just one example of the transformative change a Labour government would have in Scotland and across the UK.
“Communities, especially those across West Dunbartonshire, Helensburgh and Lomond, which have been left behind by the SNP and the Tories face struggling infrastructure and now, rising household bills.
“While the SNP is focusing on a referendum, and the Tories fight amongst themselves amid even more allegations of blatant rule-breaking, we have devised a foolproof plan to help every household in Scotland with their bills, at a time when these are rising fast. That clearly shows the difference Labour can make in power.
“The SNP is right to oppose Boris Johnson and the Tories – but Labour can do so much more than oppose them, we can replace them altogether.”
Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves said: “Working families in Scotland are already feeling the cost of living crisis bite.
“But the triple whammy of an imminent rise in the energy price cap, real wages falling and tax rises coming down the tracks are going to make this crisis even worse.
“I am pleased to confirm that Labour’s energy policy would help all 2.5 million houses in Scotland, including all households off-grid.
“The Conservatives could bring in a VAT cut on home energy bills immediately if they wanted to do – it’s immediate, automatic, and would help households across our country feeling the crunch, especially pensioners and those on lower incomes.
“It is not enough just to oppose this corrupt Tory government, we need to replace them – across the UK only Labour can do that.”