Petition against electricity bill surcharge 27/10/14
The Western Isles Poverty Action Group has launched an online petition calling on SSE to ditch a controversial surcharge.
Families across the north of Scotland have to pay an additional 2p per unit more than elsewhere as all electricity suppliers face different costs for transporting electricity across the grid in different parts of Great Britain.
It means a Western Isles household pays around 15% more than a family in Glasgow using the same amount of electricity.
Energy supplier SSE says it is forced to imposed the extra charge under UK government rules.
Chair of the Poverty Action Group, Cllr Angus McCormack, said, " We are calling on electricity company SSE to remove the 2p per unit surcharge imposed on consumers in the Highlands and Islands with immediate effect.
“71% of residents in the Islands are in fuel poverty. To impose an additional burden on people in the Highlands and Islands is completely unacceptable and I would encourage everyone to support us by signing the petition."
The petition can be accessed at: http://tiny.cc/cw2dox