The SNP has appealed for ‘urgent action’ to end a discrepancy in a UK government scheme leaving northern Scots with higher electricity bills than anywhere else in the UK.
A recent UK Government report revealed a ‘distortion’ in the Hydro Benefit Replacement Scheme, resulting in higher bills for those living in northern Scotland, around £60 more a year according to Ofgem.
The SNP’s Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey MP, Drew Hendry, claimed Northern Scotland was ‘overlooked’ by the UK government and called on them to rectify the issue and end the ‘unfair penalisation’ of Scottish energy producers who are charged more for transmission charges.
Commenting, Drew Hendry MP said:
“The North of Scotland has been overlooked by the UK government for far too long, all at the detriment of the families and individuals who live and work here.
“Many Scots living in the north will be scratching their heads as to why, when they’re able to see clean renewable energy being generated in their back gardens, they continue to be charged more for electricity than anywhere else in the UK.
“It should be unthinkable that energy rich regions like the Highlands and Islands, also have the highest rates of fuel poverty across all nations of the UK.
“That this latest additional energy penalty is down to yet another UK government mistake, one that has punished northern Scots for years, is a disgrace and must be urgently rectified.
“They must also work to end the unfair penalisation of Scottish energy producers who are charged more than anywhere else for transmission charges, sending energy bills skyrocketing even further for Scottish households and businesses.
“If they won’t it’ll prove once again why only with independence can Scots get a fair deal on energy.”
