Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra has called on the SNP Government to use next month's Budget to give £350 to struggling Scots to help pay their fuel bills this winter. The plan could be partly funded by the Chancellor's recent commitment to make a one-off £100 payment to properties in council tax bands A-D, which would benefit 1.8 million households in Scotland.
Call to go further on support
The announcement by John Healey last month included funding for devolved administrations to cover the cost of the benefit. Nationalist ministers have committed to passing on the benefit to Scots when Holyrood's draft spending plans for the next year are announced on December 3.
Marra has now urged the SNP to go further in offering support to struggling families. He said a further 23,000 households could be eligible for the payment if it was agreed to include properties in higher bands that are in receipt of Council Tax Reduction.
Warnings over Barnett Formula funding
The MSP said his party was willing to work with the SNP on the issue, but warned that any excess funding received as a result of the recent UK Government Budget should not be used to plug the £5 billion blackhole in Holyrood's finances.
Marra has also called for the existing Winter Heating Payment to rise from £62 to £100, which would benefit 487,000 households, and ensure a maximum take up of the £150 Warm Home Discount in the coming weeks.
Labour's proposal for poorest households
Marra said: "It's right that the biggest banks are paying their fair share to help support people with energy bill payments this winter. That's Labour values in action.
"The UK Labour budget delivers hundreds of millions of extra funding for cost-of-living support Scots. It's welcome that the SNP government have already committed to passing on the £100 payment to people in council tax bands A to D.
"But we can go further – for the poorest households the Scottish Government guarantee at least £200 worth of support.
"We can do that through a mix of identifying households on Council Tax Reduction and increasing the Winter Heating Payment, combining with the Warm Homes Discount that is £350 worth of support for the poorest households.
"That's what the Scottish budget should do and the SNP should work to guarantee that support, not use any excess funding to plug holes in their budget."
Government response
Jenny Gilruth previously said the SNP Government was considering how best to deliver an equivalent scheme in Scotland following John Healey's £100 commitment. The Deputy First Minister said: "We will seek to replicate the scheme the UK government has announced but the point we have been making is this action does not go far enough."
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "Ministers already confirmed two weeks ago they would pass on the one-off £100 payment to Scottish households. We are open to any suggestions to ease financial pressures, but the reality is the key levers over energy prices remain reserved to the UK Government. It's why we have repeatedly called on them to implement a social tariff in the form of targeted bill discounts, which will see the estimated fuel bills of 660,000 households in Scotland go down by an average of £700.
"The UK Government can act now but it is clear that the measures announced in the UK Budget fall far short of the action required to support homes across the country. We are determined to do all we can to tackle the cost-of-living and it's why Scotland has the strongest package of winter heating support in the UK, with measures such as the Scottish Emergency Heating Oil Scheme and Scottish Welfare Fund.
"Nobody should be struggling to afford to heat their home in an energy-rich country like Scotland. The only way to fully realise the benefits of our energy wealth is through the fresh start of independence and putting powers in Scotland's hands."
