Calls for more action to ease heating crisis

HOUSEHOLDS in the region affected by the sharp rise in heating fuel costs will get help from a £10 million support package. The support will be “targeted” to help low income households in rural communities, with the council to will decide who qualifies and how the money is distributed. Some heating oil customers say their costs have doubled since the outbreak of the US-Israel war with Iran while the competition watchdog has launched a probe into “concerning reports”. But Galloway and West MSP Finlay Carson fears that it will be 'just a drop in the ocean' for customers stating: “Right across our region, many households – particularly in rural and remote communities – are entirely off the mains gas grid. “They have no alternative but to rely on heating oil, LPG, or solid fuels, all of which have seen dramatic price increases. “For these constituents, the cost-of-living crisis is hitting even harder simply because of where they live.” The Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP has argued that the fuel crisis is not only an issue for those in receipt of benefits, adding: “Many older people, pensioners, and working families who do not qualify for means-tested support are nevertheless struggling enormously with the soaring cost of heating their homes. “They should not be excluded from assistance simply because they fall just above an eligibility threshold. “Rural households are exposed to wild price swings with absolutely no protection, unlike mains gas and electricity customers. This is a systemic failure that has been ignored for far too long. “That is why I am pressing the Government not only to ensure this funding is properly targeted, but to confront the underlying issue head-on. “We need a full, urgent review of the heating-oil market, including real options for regulation or stabilising mechanisms that finally put rural households on a fair footing.”