More than a fifth of Orkney residents are living in fuel poverty, new figures have shown.
Orkney councillor John Richards said tackling the issue has been a case of “one step forward and three steps back”.
During a meeting of Orkney Islands Council’s policy and resources committee on Tuesday, a draft two-year community plan was discussed.
The plan was put together by community planning body the Orkney Partnership Board and uses figures from Scottish House Condition Survey Local Authority Analysis 2019.
It shows a baseline for 2020-21 of more than a fifth of Orcadian adults living in “extreme fuel poverty” against a Scottish average of 11.9%.
‘We really have nothing to brag about’
Viewing these figures, councillor John Richards expressed frustration over the issue and predicted rising fuel prices will worsen the situation.
He said: “What stood out for me is the fuel poverty figures. Extreme fuel poverty – 22% of the Orkney population is spending more than 20% of their income on keeping warm.
“We stand out as a beacon in comparison with other local authorities throughout the UK and indeed across the whole of Europe.
“We really have nothing to brag about and yet I think that for the past two decades a number of agencies including the council itself, through Keep Orkney Warm, have been attempting to address this problem.
“We’ve been doing the best we can and we seem to be making no headway with this and we hear of an energy price rise in the offing.
“All that does is you take one step forward and three steps back.”
How can Orkney reduce fuel poverty?
Councillor Richards said the next administration will need to consider how to tackle the problem as a matter of urgency.
He said: “It is affecting people’s lives, it is making people ill.
“It’s horrendous. And yet despite the best efforts of the council and third sector agencies, we don’t seem to be able to reduce these figures.
“It’s in an area that produces more energy than most parts of the world. It is an odd situation and I’m grateful for this information.
“This should be headlined in all the newspapers. What can be done to make life better for Orkney’s citizens as far as keeping their homes warm?”
Council leader James Stockan followed Mr Richards’ statements, saying: “One of the lowest waged areas, even lower than our island comparators, and now, with the energy hike, it’s going to be a tough time for people who are already in fuel poverty.
“Also, many more people will start to go into fuel poverty and I’m glad we have an action group looking into what can be done.”
