By Democrat reporter

MSPs who are entitled to rent a second home near the Holyrood parliament in Edinburgh claimed a record sum in energy bills on their taxpayer-funded expenses last year.

The total paid for gas and electricity to heat their flats stood at £35,898, up by more than £10k on the previous year and around £20k more than before the pandemic. The increase highlights just how hard it is for ordinary people to pay their bills, according to the Scottish Daily Express.

SNP politicians were the the biggest beneficiaries, with 23 MSPs claiming back £25,113 from the public purse for utilities last year. One Labour MSP – Colin Smyth, pictured left – had his flat gas and electric paid for to the tune of £1,210.

These two parties are responsible for axing the universal winter fuel payment for around 900,000 Scots pensioners. Although Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves made the initial decision, the Nats have admitted they COULD continue paying the benefit in Scotland.

Under the current rules, MSPs who represent constituencies deemed from Edinburgh for regular commuting or staying overnight in hotels can rent an all-expenses-paid second home in the capital.

A perk where MSPs could pay the mortgage interest on a property was axed after the Westminster expenses scandal, but the system is still seen as remarkably generous.

MSPs were able to claim up to £19,700 last year on Edinburgh accommodation to assist with their parliamentary duties, up from £17,300 in the previous 12 months. This year, the sum has risen again to £20,700.

MSP Emma Harper had the highest utilities claim last year — ***MSP Emma Harper, left, had the highest utilities claim last year***

Claims for utilities (which do not include water, telephone or broadband, all paid separately) relate to gas and electricity bills, from providers such as Scottish Power, Scottish Gas, E.ON, OVO and Octopus.

The largest claim was the £3,902 paid to South of Scotland MSP Emma Harper, followed by £2,831 for Banffshire and Buchan Coast MSP Karen Adam. According to Uswitch, the average annual dual fuel energy bill for a one or two bedroom flat in the UK is £1,247.

What cost of living crisis?

Labour

Colin Smyth – £1,210

SNP

Audrey Nicoll – £600
Colette Stevenson – £928
Alasdair Allan – £1,817
Elena Whitham – £756
Emma Harper – £3,902
Emma Roddick – £974
Fergus Ewing – £1,535
Gillian Martin – £1,473
Graeme Dey – £303
Jackie Dunbar – £907
Jenni Minto – £346
Karen Adam – £2,831
Kate Forbes – £855
Kevin Stewart – £916
Mairi Gougeon – £336
Mairi McAllan – £366
Maree Todd – £1,420
Rhoda Grant – £900
Richard Lochhead – £769
Ruth Maguire – £900
Siobhian Brown – £1,200
Stuart McMillan – £660
Willie Coffey – £418

SNP total – £25,113

The winter fuel payment was a one-off payment of either £200 or £300 for pensioners to help with their heating bills over the coldest months of the year. It was introduced by Gordon Brown in 1997, with Ms Reeves saying it will be means-tested from this year.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Gordon Brown, former Labour PM.

The payment is now only available to those in receipt of Pension Credit, with the cuts saving around £2.2billion for the Treasury. The SNP Government, which already pays a suite of devolved benefits to the tune of more than £5bn a year, was due to to take over responsibility this winter.

Speaking at the time, Scots Tory MSP Tess White said: “To be clear, we do not support the cut to winter fuel payments imposed on pensioners by Labour and the SNP. It is a betrayal of thousands of vulnerable people in Scotland who are trying to heat their homes.

“When senior Labour politicians have accepted thousands of pounds-worth of freebies, it truly beggars belief that struggling pensioners have been left out in the cold by Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves. In Scotland’s colder climate and longer winter, unnecessary deaths loom large on the horizon – all because of a political decision.”

Total utilities claims by MSPs

2023-24 – £35,898
2022-23 – £24,811
2021-22 – £18,907
2020-21 – £14,343
2019-20 – £16,398

Breaking news: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have been accused of ‘negligently underestimating’ how many older people will “fall through the cracks” over the colder months because they are no longer entitled to Winter Fuel Payments. Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately also urged DWP ministers to press Chancellor Rachel Reeves to “think again” about means-testing the annual heating bill help.