Council requests more time for rural fuel duty responses

The Leader of The Highland Council and Chairman of the Council’s Planning, Environment and Development Committee have written to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to welcome the proposed extension of the rural fuel duty to the Highland mainland. They have also highlighted the need to extend the deadline for submissions from operators to ensure none of the eligible filling stations miss out on the rebate.

Leader Drew Hendry said:  “The price of fuel, particularly in our remote areas is of crucial importance to the Council and our communities, and in our Programme we give the commitment to work with partners to campaign for fairer fuel prices across the Highlands. We also recognise the very damaging impact the closure of a rural filling station has on both tourism and the continued viability of rural communities.  Therefore the proposed extension of the scheme could help operators in remote areas supply fuel at more affordable prices to their local communities and we welcome all interventions to help.”

The Council understands that eligible areas may be chosen on the basis of postcode areas.  There are at least 29 postcode areas in the Highland Council area with only one filling station so the letter raises the concern that if these stations do not make a return by the tight deadline they could miss out on the rebate.

In its response to the consultation, the council has identified sites in Lochaber, Wester Ross and Sutherland where there is at least 30kms between filling stations and a minimum of 60km to a supermarket and says it would like to see these areas recognised as being the basis for a fuel duty rebate scheme in the Highlands.

Chairman Councillor Thomas Prag added: “The remote and rural areas of the Highland mainland are unique and we have stressed the special nature of our communities in our official response to the consultation about extending the scheme. In our letter to Danny Alexander we have taken the opportunity to highlight that we felt the timescale for responses was too tight for operators who are often running complicated small businesses and who are rushed off their feet over the summer months. Our officers have written to 74 sites we feel may be eligible for the rebate and we have publicised the call for information but to ensure people running filling stations that may qualify can respond with all the necessary detailed data by the deadline we have called for more time.  We hope this is taken on board and we very much look forward to early progress being made to extend the rural fuel duty rebate scheme to areas of the Highlands.”