WESTERN ISLES
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has welcomed the allocation of Crown Estate revenues which will see £1.7 million coming to communities in the Outer Hebrides.
Speaking at a meeting of the Policy and Resources Committee, comhairle leader Councillor Roddie Mackay said: ‘We are now starting to see real, tangible benefits from our many years of sustained lobbying – our communities will now have a say in how the marine estate is developed and revenues from these developments will now return to those same communities.
‘The comhairle, as initial recipient of these revenues, will now develop a protocol for their distribution to communities.’
Na h-Eileanan an Iar MSP Alasdair Allan has welcomed the impact of Warmer Homes Scotland on fuel poor households in his constituency.
More than 350 households in Mr Allan’s constituency of Na h-Eileanan
an Iar have benefitted from the scheme’s help since it was launched in 2015, each of them saving more than £300 on their energy bills per year.
The £224 million Warmer Homes Scotland scheme provides a stepby-step service to help make homes warmer and more comfortable.
Assistance can include installing new and efficient boilers, fitting new
radiators, insulating lofts or even working with partners to install gas mains to make heating homes in hard to reach areas more affordable.
All work is carried out by registered and accredited local sub-contractors, which work to rigorous quality standards across the country.
Warmworks is the managing agent of Warmer Homes Scotland and receives referrals to the scheme from Home Energy Scotland. The work undertaken in Mr Allan’s constituency relies on the support of agencies such as Tighean Innse Gall, which works closely with Warmworks and plays an important part in referring people to the scheme for help to heat their homes more affordably.
Dr Allan said: ‘I welcome the impact that Warmer Homes Scotland has made in my constituency. For too many families, living in fuel poverty is a harsh reality and it is great to know that they are now living in warmer, cosier homes with greatly reduced fuel bills.’