Scottish Government must keep election pledge to introduce Warm Homes Bill

We can make this the last generation of people in Scotland to suffer the terrible consequences of living in cold, damp homes. All we need is for our political leaders to grasp the opportunity.

Today, 50 civil society and business organisations have come together to call on the Scottish Government to create a real Warm Homes Bill that delivers affordable-toheat, low carbon homes for everyone in Scotland. In its manifesto for the 2016 elections, the SNP pledged to make a Warm Homes Bill part of their programme for government, but ministers have now altered their commitment and will introduce a Fuel Poverty Bill instead.

While legislation on fuel poverty is very welcome, the scope of the proposed bill is too narrow, focused simply on creating a new definition of fuel poverty and setting new fuel poverty targets. We can do so much more. We need a Warm Homes Bill that provides the legal foundation for a new fuel poverty target and strategy, and for the Government’s new Energy Efficient Scotland programme.

It should include long-term targets for energy performance with clear time-scales – giving industry, home-owners and landlords the certainty to invest. It should remove barriers and creative incentives for installing energy efficiency measures and low-carbon heat in homes. It should set robust quality standards and consumer protection measures. It should ensure that everyone can benefit from affordable heat and energy in all parts of Scotland, regardless of where they live or how much money they have.

The benefits of warm homes are so obvious that this government made the energy efficiency of buildings an infrastructure priority in 2015. Three years on, we need a bill that will help delivery on that priority. More energy-efficient homes mean fewer people suffering ill health, stress and poor attainment. Improving our homes will create thousands of new jobs in communities across Scotland.

Warm homes mean lower energy bills for households and huge energy savings for the country. Moving to a lowcarbon Scotland will help us meet our obligations to tackle climate change, give us greater energy security with less reliance on volatile fuel prices, and reduce our energy supply infrastructure costs.

We cannot afford to miss this opportunity. We call on all our MSPS to ensure that we get the real Warm Homes Bill that the people of Scotland were promised and deserve.

LORI MCELROY Chair, Existing Homes Alliance

Scotland Upper Park, Aberfeldy