Fuel poverty conference report

Today’s Fuel Poverty Conference was a first class event and the timing couldn’t have been better with the Westminster government’s imminent bedroom tax about to hit the most vulnerable in the Western Isles ,dding further to their fuel poverty.

However we learned about initiatives to address the problem which been taken locally by TEAS and TIG including the recent application of external render to 55 houses which will result in lower fuel bills.

Bedroom Tax warning for Na-h-Eileanan an Iar

Angus MacNeil MP has warned an estimated 330 households in Na h-Eileanan an Iar will be hit by the UK Government’s bedroom tax.

The under-occupancy penalty will cut Housing Benefit of low income households by an average of £14 a week- or over £700 a year for tenants who are deemed to be living in a home bigger than their needs. The figures were released by the National Housing Federation ahead of a debate on bedroom tax today in the House of Commons, led by the SNP.

The case for specialist teachers

When the comhairle administration, in defence of their cutting of the specialist teacher provision, talk about the specialists being an extra provision that we don't need to provide, I feel they miss the point.

This provision is highly-valued by the whole community, as was shown throughout the budget consultations.

The education department have to be complimented for this provision - they have provided this service and the community have benefited greatly. That is why it is valued so highly.

SNP group propose an alternative budget

Within the context of a difficult economic situation nationally where the Westminster government happily made the working class pay for the irresponsible gambling of the City of London bankers, each local authority in Scotland looked at the choices they would have to make.

 

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar was no different and the process started eight months before when the directors of each department in the Comhairle offered up their suggestions for budget savings.
 

Encouraged many times by Comhairle leader Angus Campbell to provide alternatives to these harsh decisions, the SNP group set to task creating an alternative budget that would take into consideration the public consultations balanced against making the savings required.