Councillors back extending rural fuel duty relief scheme to Powys

This would knock off five (5) pence off fuel costs at the pump.

At a Powys County Council meeting on Friday, July 22, Plaid Cymru group leader Councillor Elwyn Vaughan sponsored a motion for rural Wales to be included in the scheme.

He asked the council to “press” the UK Government treasury to update the scheme and that Powys MP’s work with those from other parts of Mid Wales as part of a cross party consensus to push the case at Westminster.

The spiralling prices of fuel has hit all parts of the country, but in rural areas such as Powys, residents have no choice but to use a vehicle to get around and have been amongst the hardest hit in their pockets.

Cllr Vaughan said: “Wales is the most car-dependent nation in the UK due to poor public transport investment.

“We’re well aware of the lack of investment in our railways despite the huge investment in HS2 in England, costing Wales £5 billion.

“The Rural Fuel Duty Relief allows retailers to claim back up to five pence per litre duty relief on unleaded petrol and diesel, and pass on the savings to customers, covering 17 areas of England and Scotland.

“These include parts of the Highlands, Argyll and Bute, Northumberland, Cumbria, Devon, and North Yorkshire.

“However, no areas of Wales are currently eligible for the scheme.

Cllr Vaughan pointed out that many parts of Wales met all of the criteria.

He also asked Conservatives in the council to mention the issue with Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss who are vying to become the next leader of the Conservative party and prime minister.

The motion went straight to a vote and was approved by 55 votes in favour, two against and one abstention.

The scheme works in parts of the UK where fuel pump prices were historically much higher than the UK average.

This is due to the remoteness of these areas which lead to high fuel transportation costs.

Relatively low sales meant that these fuel station could not benefit from buying in bulk.