The Scottish Parliament’s Local Government and Communities Committee published a report on 29 January on the Fuel Poverty (Target, Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Bill, calling for additional measures to put an end to thousands of people living in fuel poverty.
The draft bill, initially published in July 2018, committed Scotland to no more than 5% of households living in fuel poverty by 2040. Following scrutiny, the committee has called for a separate target to be included in the bill to focus on people living in “extreme fuel poverty” – those spending more than 20% of their income on fuel.
The report also raised concerns about the inadequacy of works carried out under UK-based energy efficiency schemes, urging redress.