Clarehill Plastics Limited

News

Grant Awarded To Unique Fuel Buying Scheme In Shropshire

24th January 2012

As reported in this month's Fuel Oil News , acharity has secured a £3000 grant from the government to help people join a fuel-buying scheme in Shropshire.

The community council of Shropshire is seeking to buy more heating oil in bulk and reduce the cost for members.

The £3000 grant, from the Department of Health, will be spent on making the scheme available to people who are currently unable to pay for membership. Lizzy Thaine, from the community council, said: "This grant is allowing us to extend the scheme to people who could be at risk of fuel poverty, or are vulnerable.

"Normally we charge £20 per household to join the scheme, but this grant is allowing us to subsidise membership for people who wouldn't necessarily afford that."

According to recent statistics, Shropshire has more than 45,000 households - nearly a quarter of all households - in fuel poverty. Along with County Durham and East Riding in Yorkshire, Shropshire has been highlighted as an area particularly affected.

Fuel poverty is an increasingly highlighted issue in the UK and Ireland. As oil prices rise, households are finding it harder and harder to meet the costs of filling an oil tank. Schemes such as this, as well as initiatives such as the Green Deal have been designed to assist the fuel poor by helping to manage or reduce fuel costs. Proposals within the Green Deal include replacing a large number of inefficient oil boilers, which would reduce fuel usage dramatically.

At Harlequin, we also urge home owners to make sure that the fuel they have is secure by attaching a tank lock to the access point of their oil tank. Current models of Harlequin's Advance oil tank are supplied with market leading tank lock security as standard. For information on these tanks, or to view the type of security that we at Harlequin recommend, visit out Advance bunded oil tanks page.