Motion tabled to save Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home from collapse after a huge rise in unwanted pets and heating bills
A motion has been tabled in the Scottish Parliament to save the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home from potential closure after the organisation warned of an 800 per cent rise in its energy bills.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-hamilton wants to encourage across-party intervention to help save the home from collapse.
Edinburgh dog and cat home is a 140-year-old animal refuge that provides shelter and rescue for hundreds of dogs and cats annually. Faced with rising energy bills, however, the charity has said this increase “could be enough to bring the home to its knees this winter”.
According to the shelter on Sea field Road, electricity suppliesnext year will cost them an estimated £31,160, while the gas bill is expected to top £63,735.
The charity is also grappling with an unprecedented rise in owners seeking to re home their pets, partly due to the cost-ofliving crisis.
Mr Cole-hamilton, the MSP for Edinburgh Western, said: “Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home (EDCH) is an absolutely fantastic charity that provides a caring and compassionate environment to animals needing rescue and shelter. As the first charity in the country to provide food banks with pet food, it currently feeds 3,000 animals.
“Sadly, the sky-rocketing cost of energy bills has pushed the home to the brink of closure, especially when it relies so heavilyon gas and electricity to keep its animals warm and well-fed. With no financial support in place from either national or local government, the home depends solely on the generosity of its donors.
“That is whyi am today tab ling a motion to inspire an intervention from MSPS across Parliament, which will save this iconic Edinburgh institution from collapse. I want to see the Scottish Government working in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council and animal welfare organisations, so that EDCH gets the support it desperately needs.”
Conservative MSP Miles Briggs, who represents the Lothian region, gave his support to the motion.
He said: “I have had recent meetings with the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home and been working to help them secure support, so I will happily back this cross-party me as ure.i hope the local community and businessacross edinburgh will support the Home .”