Hard-pressed motorists from across the Highlands and islands will be given the chance to vent their anger about the cost of fuel directly to suppliers and government ministers. Companies will be asked to justify prices at the petrol pumps at a series of meetings throughout the north.
Scottish Secretary Alistair Carmichael vowed to oversee the events as he revealed the plans to the Press and Journal.
The Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland believes wholesalers and distributors have “some answering to do”, and wants them to face local residents to hear the concerns first-hand.
High-level talks on Scottish fuel prices were held in Glasgow in January, with MPs meeting distributors and officials from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) watchdog to try to address the soaring prices at the pumps.
Mr Carmichael revealed that he wanted to repeat the exercise in towns and villages across the north, but this time invite representatives from the communities.
He intends to arrange the meetings after the OFT concludes its inquiry into alleged abuses in the islands fuel market by GB Oils, parent firm of Scottish Fuels.
The report was due in July, with the deadline then extended to last month.
But an OFT spokesman confirmed yesterday that the final verdict is not now expected until January. Mr Carmichael said: “I remain of the view that the distributors and wholesalers have some answering to do. I will look very closely at the conclusions that will be drawn by the OFT when they eventually report.
“If you think back to the fuel summit that was convened in Glasgow earlier in the year, I think I would be keen to repeat that.
“The aim would be to allow the communities to ventilate their concerns, for government to have a better understanding of their concerns, and for the companies that are concerned at every level in the supply chain, to explain to the communities why they have to charge as much as they do.”
He added: “It is something in which I as secretary of state would take an active part, that’s a mark of the importance that I personally politically attach to the issue.”
Mr Carmichael poured cold water on calls for a rise in the 5p-a-litre fuel discount scheme, which was introduced on the islands last year and could be extended to some mainland areas.
He said he would be “cautious” about a larger discount because it could let firms in the supply chain “off the hook”.
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