Group takes action on fuel poverty in Edinburgh

In June 2008 the North Edinburgh Activist Group received a questionnaire from the Scottish Government on how to tackle poverty in Scotland.   During our deliberations there was some concern about the recent massive increases in utility prices which would possibly lead to an increase in fuel poverty in the area.

Out of this initial meeting a dozen of us got together to discuss the matter further and felt there was enough interest to set up North Edinburgh Fuel Poverty Action Group (NEFPAG).

We felt we required to do further research and to educate ourselves in order to take our campaign further.  We also felt that people needed more information about alternative energy schemes (community heating and micro energy schemes). Mark Lazarowicz, our local MP, has already set up a co-operative which is looking into micro energy for the North Edinburgh area.

We are hoping that local campaigning will help to address the wider problems of high prepayment meter tariffs, which we feel should be reduced to the cheapest payment method, and that the extra VAT which the government will receive from the rise in energy prices will be invested in fuel poverty issues (i.e. extending the winter fuel payment to other low-income groups and not just the over-60s).

We hope to engage with energy companies; the Government - both Westminster and Holyrood; the European Union; and the Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum. We also hope to encourage local people who may be experiencing fuel poverty to join us.  We hope that local community groups will be sufficiently interested in supporting/joining us, e.g. unions, the Poverty Alliance, Disabled Groups, Older People’s Forum.

We carried out a pilot survey in the Muirhouse area where 50 people answered a simple questionnaire and 29 out of those 50 people have expressed an interest in joining us.   If there is sufficient interest we hope to hold a fuel poverty hearing.

If you would like to join NEFPAG, please email Helen Hanlon.