Energy bill cuts and home insulation plan needed, says Lib Dem leader

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey is calling for a cut to energy bills and a plan to insulate homes, ahead of the party’s Scottish conference.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat spring conference will take place on Friday and Saturday in Dundee.

Ahead of the gathering, Mr Davey said his party would pay for a cut in energy bills with a tougher windfall tax on oil and gas companies.

He also called for the Scottish Government to launch an emergency nationwide home insulation programme.

On Thursday, Mr Davey said infighting within the SNP leadership contest gives his party the opportunity to “resonate” with Scots on the important issues.

Sir Ed said: “People in Scotland are struggling with soaring energy bills now more than ever.

“The chaotic Conservative Government in Westminster is failing millions of people by refusing to commit to more support.

“Meanwhile, the Scottish Government have failed to back Liberal Democrats’ calls to launch an emergency home insulation programme.

“With no plan to deal with this cost-of-living crisis for people, both out-of-touch governments are making the energy crisis so much worse.

“People need real support and that’s what the Liberal Democrats are calling for – a cut to energy bills and a plan to insulate people’s homes.

“Sadly, neither the Conservatives nor the SNP seem interested in tackling this crisis on our doorstep.”

In response, the Scottish Government’s Zero Carbon Buildings Minister Patrick Harvie said: “We are already taking bold, ambitious steps to ensure we make our homes and buildings warmer, greener and cheaper to run.

“Over 150,000 households in Scotland already live in homes which are warmer and cheaper to heat, thanks to investment by the Scottish Government.

“We estimate that these households can expect to save over £936 million on their fuel bills and reduce carbon emissions by 3.4 million tonnes over the lifetime of these improvements.

“Our Heat in Buildings Strategy sets a hugely ambitious vision to cut carbon and improve energy efficiency across Scotland’s homes over the coming years and the report notes that the policies and targets set out in the Strategy will meet our overall objective for 2045.

“We recognise that this is a decisive decade for action which is why we have been working to support and speed up the delivery of zero and low emission heating systems and energy efficiency measures such as insulation – backed by Scottish Government funding of at least £1.8 billion over the course of this parliament.”