April launch for Scottish Emergency Oil Heating Scheme

The funding is in addition to the £4.5m of support announced by the UK government for Scottish households earlier this week.

The Scottish Emergency Oil Heating Scheme will launch on April 1 – with full details of eligibility criteria and routes to apply to be made public in the coming days.

Around 6% of households in Scotland rely on alternative fuels, with rural and island areas disproportionately affected. It is estimated that approximately 142,000 Scottish households use heating oil.

Energy secretary Gillian Martin said: “Since the conflict in the Middle East erupted, we have been calling on the UK Government to take action on spiralling oil prices. It is disappointing that the Prime Minister has been slow to act.

“While welcome, the limited support announced by the UK Government yesterday equates to only £33 per household using oil heating. This does not go far enough.

“That is why the Scottish Government is announcing today we will more than double the amount available to support Scottish households struggling with heating oil prices. We will commit an additional £5.4 million on top of the £4.6 million allocated by the UK Government.

“Our scheme will launch in the coming weeks and be delivered through Advice Direct Scotland. We will announce further details around eligibility as soon as possible.”

Debbie Horne, Scotland policy and public affairs manager at Independent Age, described the announcement as “a very welcome intervention”.

“Across Scotland, over 60,000 older households use oil as their primary heating source,” she added. “Recent spikes in oil prices have been an additional budgeting nightmare for older people on low incomes who have very little flexibility to increase their income.  

“It’s vital that this support reaches older people on low incomes as soon as possible. The scale of the need is significant. Both the UK and Scottish Governments must remain ready to respond to need, and introduce greater support if required. Pensioners in poverty must not be left in the cold.”