SNP urges UK Government to speed up smart meter roll out after RTS switch-off delayed
EXCLUSIVE: Nationalist MP Graham Leadbitter has called for "a cast iron guarantee to Scottish communities that never again will they be left to live in fear of their hot water supply being cut-off and their electricity supply disrupted."
The SNP has urged the UK Government to speed up the roll out of smart meters after the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) switch-off was delayed.
Nationalist MP Graham Leadbitter has called for "a cast iron guarantee to Scottish communities that never again will they be left to live in fear of their hot water supply being cut-off and their electricity supply disrupted."
It was announced on Wednesday evening that there would be a 'managed and more controlled start' to the RTS phaseout from June 30, instead of a hard switch off.
The RTS system, used by older electricity meters to control heating and hot water, uses a longwave radio frequency to switch between peak and off-peak rates.
The technology is becoming obsolete and energy companies had a deadline to change their customers' meters by June 30.
But firms admitted the current rates of replacement meant it was likely that thousands of RTS meters would not have been upgraded before the technology is switched off.
In Scotland there were 100,000 people at risk of disruption - one third of all homes awaiting the smart meter upgrade.
Leadbitter said in a letter to energy minister Miatta Fahnbulleh: "The decision to delay the radio teleswitch shutdown is welcome given the doomed deadline was never going to be met with 100,000 Scottish households under threat of disrupted supply and increased costs.
"As you will be aware, the SNP has consistently called for a delay to the shutdown with Scottish homes disproportionately impacted.
"One third of all the homes awaiting a smart meter upgrade in advance of the switch-off were in Scotland leaving Scottish customers once again left to bear the brunt of a broken UK energy system.
"It was completely unacceptable for the UK Government to leave families in the lurch until just two weeks from the deadline when this issue has been identified and apparent for months.
"Indeed, the Scottish Government wrote to you regarding the slow roll-out of smart meters in March with warnings from charities frequently reported to your government.
"Now, the UK Government must set out how it will increase the pace of the smart meter roll-out and most importantly, provide a cast iron guarantee to Scottish communities that never again will they be left to live in fear of their hot water supply being cut-off and their electricity supply disrupted."
The UK Government was approached for comment.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scotsman
20 minutes ago
- Scotsman
Fergus Ewing makes 'at its worst' comment as he confirms whether he will stand for 2026 Scottish election
SNP MSP Fergus Ewing released the statement, after being at odds with the party for an extended period. Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Fergus Ewing has announced he will stand as an independent at next year's Scottish election. The SNP veteran, who has been at odds with the party in recent years, has represented Inverness and Nairn since 1999. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Veteran MSP Fergus Ewing. Picture: John Devlin He said in March he would not stand for the SNP in 2026, ending more than 50 years of association with the party. However, in a statement, the 67-year-old confirmed he would seek election for a seventh time - this time as an independent. Mr Ewing said it had 'not been an easy decision'. His statement said: 'I have seen the Scottish Parliament at its best and its worst. I fear in recent years it has been at its worst. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'This has not been an easy decision. I have taken it because I love the people of Inverness and Nairn and the people of Scotland more than my party which I have been in for more than half a century. 'I believe the SNP has lost its way and that devolution itself – presently – is letting Scotland's people down. It doesn't need to be this way. Fergus Ewing | PA "Holyrood is more fractious and tribal than ever before. "Too much power rests unchecked in the hands of party leaders, free to choose candidates who will slavishly support them, rather than stand up for the people who sent them to Holyrood. Choosing the pliant over the talented." Mr Ewing has been increasingly critical of the SNP's slow progress in dualling the A9 and A96 roads. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad His decision comes after SNP ministers on Thursday renewed their commitment to fully dual the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness, after a consultation showed nearly two-thirds support and bypasses of Elgin and Keith were seen as the priorities. At the time Mr Ewing confirmed he would not stand again for the SNP, First Minister and party leader John Swinney described the veteran MSP as a "faithful servant" of his constituents who had contributed much to the Scottish Parliament. The commitment to stand may extend the tenure of the Ewing name in Scottish political ranks. Winnie Ewing (right), arriving in London with her children, Fergus, Terry and Annabelle, in 1967 | Getty Images Mr Ewing is the son of Nationalist trailblazer Winnie Ewing, whose triumph in Hamilton in the 1967 by-election was a breakthrough moment for the SNP.
ITV News
23 minutes ago
- ITV News
Mother of teen who drowned in sea off Bournemouth beach raises water safety issue in Parliament
The mother of a teenager who drowned in the sea off Bournemouth beach, has travelled to Westminster - to raise the case of water safety in Parliament. Joe Abbess who was 17, and from Southampton, died in the tragic incident during a day out with friends, alongside 12-year-old Sunnah Khan from Buckinghamshire in May 2023. The pair got caught in a rip current. Joe Abbess' mother Vanessa Abbess joined forces with her local MP - Labour's Darren Paffey - to lead a debate on water safety education. Speaking to ITV Meridian Mrs Abbess said: "They have lessons where they basically lay like starfish on the floor of the classroom. "That's something that sticks in a child's head. "So then if they are in a scenario where they are in danger, they think 'oh yeah - float to live'. "It's as automatic as learning to cross the road, riding your bike - it could be so straightforward and a generation could learn that." Vanessa Abbess, Joe Abbess' mother Darren Paffey said 150 children had lost their lives to drowning in the past three years and called for every child to be given the 'opportunity to learn and to live'. As many people head to the UK's waters during this weekend's warm weather, the MP for Southampton Itchen urged the Government to commit to a national swimming and water safety strategy. Swimming lessons are included in the current curriculum, with all children expected to be able to swim 25 metres unaided by the time they leave primary school. But Mr Paffey has argued this does not go far enough, with just 74% of children leaving school with the ability to swim 25 metres, and those from the most deprived areas twice as likely to drown. Speaking in the Commons, Mr Paffey said: 'My major request of Government is that when the national curriculum is updated, following the review currently happening, and is then taught in every school as mandated in the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, will the Government use that opportunity to enshrine water safety as a core compulsory part of every child's education? 'The point of the curriculum, we know, is not just to pass exams, it's to prepare our young people for life. And if Labour's mission is to break down barriers to opportunity, then here is just about the greatest opportunity we can offer them – the opportunity to learn and to live.' He added: 'Will the Government commit to a national swimming and water safety strategy based on up-to-date evidence about children's access across this country to swimming lessons and water safety education?' Mr Paffey also pressed the Government to create a dedicated water safety ministerial role, as is the case in Wales and Scotland. He added: 'So I ask, why doesn't England? The National Water Safety Forum and the World Health Organisation have both urged the Government to appoint such ministers, and I echo that call today.' Referring to the incident at Bournemouth during his speech, Mr Paffey said: 'They were swimming waist high in the sea, as Joe, who was a strong swimmer, had done many, many times before. They were between the safety flags, in full view of lifeguards, but in an instant, a rip current turned their fun into tragedy.' He added: 'The coroner reported that this was an accident, a devastating and fatal act of nature. But they also report that rip currents can occur anywhere along the UK coastline at any time. 'How many people, especially children, know that? How many members in this chamber would understand, recognise and rightly respond to a rip current? 'On sunny days like we're enjoying at the moment, many will rightly want to go and enjoy rivers and beaches, but we have to ensure that we are doing everything we can to make sure that they can do that safely.' Labour's Rebecca Long Bailey urged the Government to 'provide just a little funding to open up these supervised, lifeguarded swim areas to the public for free, and for longer during the summer months'. 'That way, no young person is tempted to risk their life in dangerous areas when they can have full access to a supervised one,' the Salford MP added. Responding to the debate, education minister Catherine McKinnell said: 'The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which was introduced in December 2024 and is making its way through this House, does put that requirement on all state-funded schools, including academies, to teach the national curriculum, and will, once implemented, extend the requirement to teach swimming and water safety to all state-funded schools. 'Data from Sport England's active life survey reported in 2024 that 95.2% of state primary schools surveyed reported that they do provide swimming lessons, and we do want all pupils to have the opportunity to learn to swim.' She added: 'We are working to ensure that teaching pupils the water safety code at primary and secondary school will feature in our new RSHE (relationships, sex and health education) statutory guidance, which will be published shortly.'
STV News
24 minutes ago
- STV News
Forbes will ‘leave no stone unturned' to help save Alexander Dennis jobs
Scotland's deputy First Minister has pledged to 'leave no stone unturned' to secure a future for the workers at risk of losing their jobs at bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis. Kate Forbes, who is also the Economy Secretary, said the Scottish Government would 'explore every avenue' to save the 400 jobs at risk of redundancy. Up to 400 jobs have been put at risk after the manufacturer announced plans to move operations in Falkirk and Larbert to a single site in Scarborough in North Yorkshire. PA Media 400 jobs at Alexander Dennis are at risk (Andrew Milligan/PA). It comes after more than 400 jobs were lost at the nearby Grangemouth refinery. Forbes said ministers at Holyrood first spoke with the firm about the proposals on May 25, and said she believed the UK Government did so at that time too. She insisted she was 'determined' to find an alternative to job cuts at the Falkirk and Larbert factories. Opposition parties accused the Scottish Government of having done nothing, despite the company warning a year ago that it may cut jobs in Scotland. Vowing to 'leave no stone unturned', Forbes said in a statement to the Scottish Parliament: 'We are determined to help the business find an alternative to that route and to find different ways to meet market challenges through investment and improved performance. 'A key part of that is the ability of Alexander Dennis to secure future orders, and that is why we are working closely with the company to identify and secure a forward pipeline of demand for high quality buses from Scottish and UK customers.' She said securing a pipeline for bus orders in Scotland was 'key' to securing the future of the sector in Scotland. She added: 'We will work in close collaboration with the company, with trade unions and the UK Government to find practical solutions. 'We are not going to play politics with the situation. 'We will continue to explore every avenue to avoid job losses.' The situation dominated Labour's questions at FMQs on Thursday, with Anas Sarwar accusing the First Minister John Swinney of doing 'nothing' to save the jobs, despite warnings they could be lost. The Scottish Labour leader pointed to a letter from last August, from Paul Soubry, president and chief executive of Alexander Dennis's parent company, NFI, who told Swinney: 'We are regretfully left with the impression through recent developments that the Scottish Government has little regard for domestic bus manufacturing jobs in Scotland and we have no choice but to reconsider our entire investment in the Scottish operations of Alexander Dennis.' Sarwar said: 'Last week, John Swinney claimed that he became aware of issues facing Alexander Dennis a few weeks ago and was doing what he could to help the company. 'But that is not true. John Swinney received a letter almost a year ago directly from the company setting out how his decision to buy buses from China, instead of from Scotland, was putting the company and jobs at risk. Scottish Secretary Ian Murray echoed that sentiment, telling the PA news agency: 'The bottom line here is that the Scottish Government have known about this for a year and done absolutely nothing. 'There's a pattern here, they knew about the Grangemouth refinery closing for three years and did nothing. 'And now what they're trying to do is pass the ball back to Westminster.' He said the UK Government is doing 'all we possibly can' to resolve the issues at the bus plant, adding: 'The big issue with Alexander Dennis in Falkirk is the Scottish Government didn't buy as many buses off them as they should have done. 'In fact they bought four times fewer as Andy Burnham in Manchester.' Speaking after Forbes' speech at Holyrood, Tory MSP Stephen Kerr said the Scottish Government could not 'conceal' the fact it 'did nothing'. He said: 'Let us be clear, I hear what the deputy First Minister says about setting politics aside, but our role here is to scrutinise the performance of the Scottish Government – and this crisis did not come out of the blue. 'This statement, however skilfully delivered, cannot conceal the truth: the SNP Government was warned repeatedly for over a year and did nothing. 'When Alexander Dennis asked for support, they were met with silence. 'When Scottish jobs were on the line, the Scottish Government were looking in another direction. PA Media Scottish Conservative MSP Stephen Kerr said the Scottish Government did 'nothing' despite warnings from the company (Fraser Bremner/Scottish Daily Mail/PA). 'When buses, orders for buses were needed, those orders went to China.' Unite union Scottish secretary Derek Thomson said: 'Unite has held positive and constructive meetings with the Deputy First Minister to explore all options which can keep the Alexander Dennis sites open in Falkirk and Larbert. 'We welcome the Scottish Government actively working with the trade unions to find solutions to the threat of 400 highly skilled jobs being lost. 'It is our firm belief that there are pathways to retaining a manufacturing presence at the sites.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
