More than 50 civil society groups and businesses have said introducing the legislation will help tackle fuel poverty and climate change

Campaigners have stressed the importance of the Scottish Government fulfilling its promise to create a warm homes bill.

More than 50 civil society and business organisations have issued a joint statement calling on ministers and MSPs to devise a law that will end fuel poverty, create new jobs and investment and tackle climate change.

The bill was promised in the SNP manifesto for the last Holyrood elections, and has broad cross-party support. But campaigners have expressed concern at it not yet being introduced, with ministers having only committed to bringing in a fuel poverty bill so far.

However TFN understands that the Scottish Government still plans to bring forward its fuel poverty (target, definition and strategy) (Scotland) bill, also known as the warm homes bill, by the end of this parliamentary term.

The statement has been backed by a range of groups including Shelter, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, Friends of the Earth Scotland and the Poverty Alliance.

Lori McElroy, chair of the Existing Homes Alliance, which has led the creation of the statement, said that it is important the government does not miss on the opportunity to bring an end to people living in cold, damp homes in Scotland.

“It is not often that such a wide range of voices from across Scotland come together in such a powerful way,” she said. “There is a broad, growing consensus across society, business, and among politicians that we need to take real action on fuel poverty and energy efficiency.

"Bringing Scotland's homes up to a standard of energy efficiency will tackle fuel poverty and climate change, reduce ill-health, improve well-being, reduce inequalities, and create and sustain jobs across Scotland. It is quite simply one of the best investments that the Scottish Government could make.”

McElroy stressed that the bill should include long-term targets for creating energy efficient homes.

She added: "The warm homes bill should provide a strong legal foundation not just for the new Fuel Poverty Strategy, but also for the government’s new Energy Efficient Scotland programme.

“It should include long-term targets for energy performance with clear time-scales - giving industry, home-owners and landlords the certainty to invest. It should remove barriers and creative incentives for installing energy efficiency and low-carbon heat in homes, realising their full potential.”

TFN understands that work to prepare the warm homes bill is ongoing, and housing minister Kevin Stewart has pledged to present the bill shortly.

He said: “The Scottish Government is determined to tackle fuel poverty and to improve the energy efficiency of Scotland’s housing stock and we welcome the fact that almost 100,000 fewer households were in fuel poverty in 2016 compared to the previous year, but we are determined to do more.

“That is why by the end of 2021 we will have allocated over £1 billion toward these twin goals and why we have consulted on a new fuel poverty strategy, definition and target, which will inform a bill to be laid before the Scottish Parliament shortly.”

Stewart added that the Scottish Government has committed £500 million over the next four years to improve the efficiency of buildings in Scotland.