David Torrance MSP: heating or eating – the choice facing too many Fifers dealing with energy bills

During this recent winter cold snap, it has become clear that a large portion of constituents, especially concerned pensioners, are worried about the current cost of energy under Westminster and their unfair standing charges to Scottish customers.

This worry has grown further still, due to unfulfilled promises from Labour leader Keir Starmer that energy bills would fall by £300. Instead they have risen by almost £200 with further increases being introduced in January and April.

Some of the pensioners who have contacted me routinely have to choose between necessities such as eating and heating their homes. To combat this, the Scottish government will continue to invest where help is needed, in impoverished households and low-wage pensioners.

Over 830,000 payments have been made to people struggling with the cost of energy bills including 268,000 payments to the Child Winter Heating Payment and the Winter Heating Payment, as well as 568,000 to the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment.

It is estimated that 475,000 people will receive Winter Heating Payments this winter. There is also additional support in the form of the Crisis Grant offered to people facing a range of difficulties including food and energy payments through the Scottish Welfare Fund.

Despite the support from the Scottish Government, there is little we can do about Westminster energy policy and it seems the only way to solve this issue is through independence and bringing the power back to the Scottish people.

Scotland is vastly energy rich, yet these resources are siphoned off from Scotland by Westminster with no equitable return.

If Scotland is truly valued as a nation in the UK we demand equal financial recognition for our resources along with the abolition of the unfair standing charge and an end to the energy rip off.