Labour Refuses to Extend Rural Fuel Relief Scheme to Mid Wales

The Rural Fuel Duty Relief Scheme helps lower the cost of petrol in more remote and hard-to-reach regions. It currently applies to 21 areas across the UK, including rural regions of Scotland and England.

Fuel retailers in these areas can apply for relief of 5p per litre of petrol or diesel, which is then passed on to consumers through reductions in price at the pump. 

The scheme doesn’t currently cover any rural regions in Wales.  

Previous research has found that those living in rural areas spend an average of £800 more on fuel costs a year than those in urban areas and have far fewer public transport options, if any at all.

The confirmation that the scheme won’t be rolled out to any areas of the UK comes following questioning of the UK Government on the scheme by Welsh Liberal Democrat for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick.

During last year's general election, the Liberal Democrats called for the scheme to be extended to 20 new areas, including remote and rural parts of Wales such as Powys, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Gwynedd.

They have described the news that the scheme won’t be extended to any part of Wales as evidence that Labour doesn’t understand the struggles of rural communities and continues to disregard Wales as a whole.

The Liberal Democrats are also backing the introduction of a Pumpwatch scheme, which would allow consumers to compare fuel prices in real-time and guard against unfair mark-ups. A similar initiative in Northern Ireland, where fuel is cheapest in the United Kingdom, has already proven effective.

Despite David Chadwick MP challenging the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Rights, Competition and Markets, Justin Madders MP on the issue in January, the Government is yet to announce any concrete policy. 

Commenting Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick said: “People in rural areas have been clobbered by the cost-of-living crisis. Now the new UK Labour administration is continuing the legacy of neglect of rural areas and Wales that we saw under the Conservatives. 

“By refusing to extend the scheme to Wales, they are showing they simply don’t care about the struggles of rural communities.

 “It’s also disappointing they have so far failed to introduce a pump watch scheme. I know in towns across my constituency price gouging is a real issue. 

“Labour must do better and stop treating Wales as an afterthought compared to Scotland and England.”