SFPAP Response to the Scottish Government's First Fuel Poverty Periodic Report

The Scottish Fuel Poverty Advisory Panel has published its statutory response to the Scottish Government’s Tackling Fuel Poverty in Scotland: periodic report 2021-2024. This assesses the progress made towards meeting Scotland’s statutory targets between 2021-2024 and sets out recommendations to support the refocussing and ramping up of action to bring the statutory targets into view.

Panel Periodic Report Response.pdf

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Recommendations to the Scottish Government for Developing a Revised Fuel Poverty Strategy

The Panel offers the following recommendations to the Scottish Government for developing its revised fuel poverty strategy. 

Recommendation 1: The Scottish Government should be transparent on whether the current Strategy can make the necessary progress towards meeting the legislative targets. The revised strategy needs to build from this point.

Recommendation 2: Development of the revised strategy should not be delayed beyond 2026. Planning for a strategy review should commence immediately. The groundwork needs to start now with priority given to developing a programme for stakeholder consultation and reviewing the effectiveness of the current delivery frameworks and their ability to respond to the step change required. A commitment to a strategy review would mean that any further work on the monitoring and evaluation framework under development would include only the most impactful actions in the current strategy.  

Recommendation 3: A strategic governance model should be adopted including clear accountability and responsibilities for fuel poverty in Scotland, with one fuel poverty reduction delivery plan, everybody knowing what they are doing to deliver, and what gaps remain.

Recommendation 4: A revised strategy should make clear where policy dependencies exist across the fuel poverty landscape (e.g. child poverty, climate change, heat in buildings and health), that policy and strategy co-dependencies need to be aligned, and that a formal governance structure exists to facilitate co-delivery including oversight of the fuel poverty reduction plan.

Recommendation 5: A revised strategy should give equal attention to all fuel poverty drivers, making clear their relationship to the fuel poverty definition, relative weighting in terms of impact on fuel poverty outcomes, and key devolved powers available to address them.

Recommendation 6: A revised strategy should include a resource plan for the period of the strategy linked to outcomes, presenting an opportunity to bring a strong focus to the fiscal levers and policies. This includes (a) specifying clearly whether this funding is a fuel poverty measure (not related to another catch all policy action), (b) clearly stating spending targets, and (c) evidencing that the funding is sufficient.

Recommendation 7: A revised strategy should develop and embed a robust monitoring and evaluation framework at the outset learning from the experience of the current Strategy.

 Recommendation 8: A revised strategy should set out a clear, evidence-led, strategic approach to influencing reserved issues as support and resource prioritisation by the UK Government will be key to delivery. This includes prioritising a strong, collaborative relationship with the UK Government.

Recommendation 9: A revised strategy should set out how the five yearly strategy revision timetable corresponds with the 2030, 2035 and 2040 fuel poverty targets, and the triennial periodic reporting of progress. This would bring coherence to strategic planning, delivery and reporting, and support governance of fuel poverty policy.

Concluding remarks

The Panel recognises the Scottish Government’s commitment to addressing fuel poverty and working collaboratively across national and local government, as well as the private and third sectors. All stakeholders that the Panel has engaged with recognise the systemic negative impact that living in fuel poverty has, and the opportunities ending fuel poverty would bring, including personal, social and health benefits. Strategic prioritisation, decisive action and clear leadership is needed to ensure that the statutory targets are achieved in what is a complex landscape, and it is essential that a revised strategy harnesses the expertise and capacity of all stakeholders. Whilst the presentation of the Periodic Report makes it difficult to evaluate progress, the Panel is clear in its views that the Strategy falls short and that the Scottish Government needs to do much more to tackle fuel poverty now and to demonstrate that the 2040 target can be met

The Panel’s vision is for a Scotland where everyone lives in an energy efficient home and has access to affordable and clean energy – a Scotland where no one lives in fuel poverty. Achieving the 2040 fuel poverty targets would deliver this. Scotland is an energy rich nation and yet the reality is that around a third of Scottish households now live in fuel poverty, and this has been so for the lifetime of the current Strategy. The Panel is of the view that the extent of the commitments to address the current levels of fuel poverty, to reduce and ultimately to eradicate fuel poverty, are strategic policy choices. As the first appointment term of the Panel comes to an end, it remains committed to supporting the Scottish Government to achieve meaningful action towards the elimination of fuel poverty. Scotland’s statutory fuel poverty targets set out the national aspiration to eliminate fuel poverty. With a reformed approach and renewed vigour, we look forward to the Scottish Government delivering for those in fuel poverty.

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