At the end of February, Western Isles Citizens Advice Service successfully secured Community Led Local Development Revenue Funding from CnES, with our team acting as delivery consultants. Additional capital support for the bid was provided by Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn and Stòras Uibhist. Assessments began in March, using our uniquely developed matrix – a key tool that allows our model to be accurately measured against the Scottish Government’s two-tier fuel poverty definition.
As well as starting household assessments, particularly with families, we also held a series of promotional events, meetings, and valuable discussions with partners who play a critical role in identifying and referring eligible households. We are grateful to all those partners for their continued collaboration. Where applicants meet the criteria, we are allocating funds, with payments made directly to their fuel accounts. The project is scheduled to complete at the end of March, and we will soon be reporting on the positive outcomes and impact it has had.
