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Fuel price campaigners ensure every little helps - for The Inverness Courier
IN the last few months, especially since the credit crunch began to bite, prices have been rising so fast that many families are struggling to cope.
Food prices are rising — some staple items have more than doubled, energy bills have rocketed, and housing costs are going up as mortgages are more expensive.
But most damagingly of all for many Highlanders, the price of fuel has risen by more than a third in the last year. With higher than average fuel costs in many areas, longer distances to travel, and little or no public transport in many areas, this is a hike in costs that simply cannot be avoided.
That was why I was so delighted last week to have persuaded Sir Terry Leahy that Tesco should end the unfair and unpopular practice of charging more for its fuel in Inverness than in Elgin. The huge involvement and real anger of the local community — exemplified by The Inverness Courier's Pump it Down campaign — made the issue impossible for Tesco to avoid once it was brought directly to the attention of the top man.
It is great credit to Terry Leahy that he acted so quickly after I met him and raised this issue in Westminster. But it should never have taken so long, and it would certainly have been better for Tesco if they had been able to listen at an earlier stage in response to some of the many letters and direct protests they have received.
For me, it shows what can be achieved when you campaign hard together for something that is right for your community. It would have been easy for the many local people, community groups and elected representatives involved in this issue to have given up over the last few years. To me, this shows that dogged campaigning and refusing to take no for an answer pays dividends.
As politicians of all parties in the Highlands can testify, it can be enormously frustrating trying to persuade central government in both Edinburgh and London to put the Highlands at the top of their priority list.
On fuel, it is bitterly ironic that it has proved easier to persuade a major company to do the right thing than it has been to make the government act. That Labour ministers still refuse to answer our call for a cut in fuel duty for rural and remote areas shows how unaware they are of the problem in our area. With John Thurso and Charles Kennedy, I will continue the fight to end the government's Highland highway robbery.
And we all need to work just as hard to persuade the Scottish government to provide the funding that we need for the Inverness by-pass, and we should not give up until the same positive result is achieved as in the Tesco fuel campaign. After all completing that road, is essential to relieve congestion and allow the development of the new University campus. Further delay simply cannot be tolerated and we need to constantly keep the pressure on to make sure the funding is provided and quickly.
SUMMER RECESS
The House of Commons has now embarked on its summer recess. One person who I suspect is desperate for a break from Westminster is prime minister Gordon Brown.
The failures and problems stored up over the last 10 years are coming home to roost and by-elections are sending a clear message that people have had enough.
Some Labour backbenchers are now talking openly about replacing Mr Brown before the next election.
Whether or not that happens, the next few months will be hard for the government — but even harder for the people of this country who have to bear the brunt of their policy mistakes and indecision.
For me, the 10 week long break from parliamentary business is a great opportunity to spend time locally. As well as getting some time at home with the family, I will be embarking on my regular summer programme of surgeries in every town and village. This will be fully advertised in the local press, so if you have an issue to raise or a problem you need help with, please do not hesitate to come along.
If you cannot make it, you can call my office on 01463 711280 to make an appointment.
Posted on: 29/07/2008
