Fuel Bank Foundation welcomes Scotland First Minister’s commitment to tackling fuel poverty

In one of his first actions as Scotland’s new First Minister, Humza Yousaf has pledged to triple the fund from the start of last year to provide further support for vulnerable households struggling with their energy bills.

The investment will enable third sector organisations to continue to provide support to households who are at risk of self-disconnection or self-rationing their energy use.

Fuel Bank Foundation, which provides emergency fuel vouchers to people who can’t afford to top-up their prepayment meter, as well as helping households that are off grid and rely on solid fuels such as heating oil, has previously received funding from the Fuel Insecurity Fund to finance its operations in Scotland.

Since the launch of its first Fuel Bank Centre in 2016 in Glasgow South East, the charity now runs 135 centres across the country. In the last 12 months, Fuel Bank Foundation has helped more than 115,000 people in Scotland, 38 per cent of which were children.

“As a charitable trust we rely on funding from central and devolved government, local authorities, energy companies, and other charitable organisations. Their financial support is invaluable to us and to those in society who depend on it the most.

“The additional funding from the Fuel Insecurity Fund will ensure we can continue delivering and expanding on the emergency support we provide to the most vulnerable people in Scotland, and we look forward to working with the First Minister and the Scottish Government on this important issue.”