An extra £10 million is being spent on tackling fuel poverty after the Scottish Government failed to meet its pledge to eradicate the problem.
Ministers had pledged to eradicate fuel poverty – currently defined as households spending 10% of income on heating – by November 2016.
But the latest figures show around 845,000 households – or 35% of homes in Scotland – are still affected.
Housing Minister Kevin Stewart has now announced that councils and housing associations will receive a share of £9 million to help them make it easier for tenants to heat their homes.
A further £1 million is being made available to provide interest-free loans to help people make their home more energy efficient.
Work is also being carried out to develop Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Programme (SEEP), with 11 pilot projects being set up to test different ways of saving energy.
Mr Stewart said: “Everyone deserves a safe and warm place to call home. And that is why tackling fuel poverty is a priority, for me and for this Government.
“I’m delighted that this week a further £9 million is going out to councils and social housing associations to ensure some of Scotland’s most vulnerable households are able to heat their homes. This means we are spending £113 million this year alone tackling fuel poverty directly.
“I am also pleased to be announcing a further £1 million investment in our interest-free loan scheme which will increase the number of people able to access help to install energy efficiency measures.
“Over the next four years we are making half a billion pounds available to tackle fuel poverty and improve energy efficiency. This means, by the end of 2021, we will have committed more than £1 billion to making our homes and buildings warmer and cheaper to heat.
“I announced last week that we are looking again at our approach to fuel poverty and as a result of recommendation by the Scottish Fuel Poverty Strategic Working Group, an independent review of the definition of fuel poverty will be carried out.
“It is absolutely vital we make sure the action we are taking makes a difference to those who need it most.”
