Carmichael calls for any left-out households to get in touch on Alternative Fuel Payment
NORTHERN Isles MP Alistair Carmichael has called on local householders who have yet to receive the Alternative Fuel Payment (AFP) to contact his office if they believe they are eligible.
Households not connected to the mains gas grid and using ‘alternative’ fuels such as tank or bottled gas, liquid petroleum gas, oil, wood, or solid fuel as their main form of heating are eligible for the £200 AFP payment.
This means that almost all households in Orkney and Shetland should receive the payment.
Most homes that are eligible for this payment will have received it automatically as a credit on their electricity bills.
But some may fall through the cracks of system set up to distribute the government help while others may not be connected to either the gas or the electricity grid.
These people will have to apply through the AFP alternative fund which will open by the end of February.
Carmichael said it was important to ensure that no-one who is entitled to receive the support is being left out.
“Many people across the isles have already received their Alternative Fuel Payment support in the last few days. That is of course good news for those who have been waiting for some months,” he said.
“I am already helping one constituent who has been left out of the automatic payment and so there is clearly a risk of people slipping through the cracks.
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“If you have yet to see a credit on your bill by the end of the month, it is worth checking your eligibility – and getting in touch if you need support in applying.
“The consequence of SNP ministers’ choice to delay the census in Scotland while it went ahead across the rest of the country is that some of the data used to determine these payments is woefully out of date.
“I hope that this will not leave many people waiting but we have to ensure that no one is left behind.
“Hard-pressed families who live outside the gas grid across Scotland have been waiting anxiously for fuel payments to finally kick in. We cannot afford any barriers to people getting the support they need.”
The MP can best be contact via e-mail alistair.carmichael.mp@parliament.uk
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