By Andrew Wells, May 24, 2024
As you are now aware an election has been called in the UK for July 4th.
There will be a short parliamentary wash up where any undecided legislation is agreed to be waived through (or not). This unfortunately does not include consultations. Therefore, we are going to have to wait until a new government comes in to see progress on the Renewable Liquid Heating Fuel Obligation.
Please read the following statement from UKIFDA, the industry body for liquid fuels and OFTEC:
“As the General Election campaign begins, the parties and their candidates standing across the UK’s rural seats must look to the issues that truly matter to rural voters and the challenges they face. This includes how rural communities will heat their homes and how government can give them choice about how best they can decarbonise their home heating.
“Whatever party is victorious, they will inherit an uncertain economic situation and a need to prioritise policy changes that are possible given this outlook. This must include:
“Delivering on the commitments parliament made to the UK’s 1.7 million off-grid households in passing the Energy Act, which included providing them the opportunity to use renewable liquid fuels – through a Renewable Liquid Heating Fuel Obligation – which will make the fuel affordable.
“Addressing the unequal tax treatment for renewable liquid fuels, which reduces the cost to consumers for their use in transport but not for home heating. Scrapping this duty, at no cost to the taxpayer, would incentivise rural off-grid households to switch to renewable liquid fuels.
“In this election rural off-grid households now must have the certainty they need to be able to choose how best they can make their contribution to achieving net zero. We stand ready to work with the next government to make that a reality”.
