Our islands are facing a crisis in terms of the cost of living per household with energy prices soaring. Other costs have gone up putting extreme pressure on our household budgets.
We note the public statements by the council leader and others lamenting this situation.
This is why, at the coming budget setting, the SNP group will put forward proposals including one to freeze the council tax and not put more pressure on households which are at breaking point. This is in our power to do and we hope that all elected members will agree.
When we observe the terrible actions of the private energy companies making millions in profit at a time when the country is on its knees with the pandemic, we remember our proposals many years ago to explore an island Energy Supply Company so that publicly-owned wind farms could supply every household with cost-price electricity. This was rejected by the Independent administration at the Comhairle but, if elected in the next term, the Comhairle SNP Group will pursue this as we believe this is the only way we can eradicate fuel poverty - by public ownership of the price of electricity.
We, as a council, must address the dilemma of having the best wind energy potential in Western Europe along with the highest levels of fuel poverty in the country."
