Rising fuel costs have come into the Angus calculations as the authority’s budget-setting process enters its final stages.
Giving his full support to our campaign for fairer fuel prices, Angus corporate services convener Mark Salmond said the hike at the pumps was impossible to ignore in the final financial jigsaw that will be revealed to local council taxpayers in nine days.
“Like everyone else, Angus Council feels the effect of rising fuel costs, and while it may not be one of the major determinations in the budget it is nonetheless an important issue and will be one of the factors I am taking into consideration in the budget-setting,” said the Montrose councillor.
A glance at the Angus Council fuel bill mirrors the pain every motorist is feeling when they draw up to the pumps.
In 2009-10 the authority’s road diesel bill was £957,334, while in 2010-11 it was £1.133million.
In December 2009, the cost of the 94,971 litres of diesel used in council tanks was £93,093, while 12 months on, the usage had increased by over 10,000 litres to 105,744, with the price rocketing to £127,166.Contingency fund”The council holds a contingency fund for things such as increases in energy costs and fuel prices, but it is money that we have to find,” said Mr Salmond.
“Clearly we need to use many vehicles, such as refuse lorries and those in the community meals service, but that is not to say we should not be reviewing our fuel usage across the council.
“Each department needs to justify usage of vehicles and fuel, but there have been a number of steps taken to make sure we are being as efficient as possible.
“In the last couple of years we have fitted fuel conservation technology to our refuse vehicles. We do not get a lot of mpg in these heavy vehicles, but I believe there has been a significant improvement and that is a positive step,” added Mr Salmond.
Since 2007, Angus has invested in almost 20 low-emission Euro V HGV engine vehicles and the authority said that, where possible, its purchases come with enhanced environmentally-friendly engines as well as stop-start technology.
“The council has also retrofitted rev limiters to 65 cars, which changes the driving habits of individuals and at the same time reduces CO2 emissions, and we are looking at the possible use of electric vehicles in the near future,” added Mr Salmond.
“It is not just the council this if affecting, it is impacting on every resident in Angus and every business. In virtually every conversation I have these days people are talking about the cost of fuel and it is a lot of money which people are having to lay out to fill their tank.
“It is good to see the paper raising this issue and I think the UK government needs to take this issue on board very rapidly.”If you want to support the Courier’s call for a fuel duty regulator, click here to add your name to our petition.