We have been teaming up with other organisations to campaign on fuel poverty in rural and island Scotland.
For example, we are a member of Rural & Islands Housing Associations Forum (RIHAF) looking into fuel poverty and affordable warmth.
In 2023, we contributed to a new report, commissioned by RIHAF, Highlands & Islands Housing Associations Affordable Warmth Group (HIHAAW) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, which evidences the drivers, impacts, and extent of fuel poverty in rural Scotland. It outlines a series of interlinking factors which combine and compound each other to produce a ‘perfect storm’ for severe fuel poverty in rural Scotland.
The research has resulted in a series of solutions to fuel poverty in rural Scotland, identified by the stakeholders who contributed to the research process. These are presented in an accompanying document Fuel Poverty in Rural Scotland: The Solutions.
We have also contributed to work more broadly on poverty in rural and island Scotland. We prepared a response to the UK Government's call for evidence on the impacts of the cost of living crisis on rural communities, which you can read here. We also attend and speak at Cross Party Groups on Poverty, teaming up with the Poverty Alliance.