Understanding Fuel and Transport Poverty and Associated Challenges for a Scottish Just Transition

This research project was developed in collaboration with the University of Dundee, and funded by the Scottish Universities Insight Institute

the main research activitie involved developing a literature review analysis and community engagement, in the form of four participatory workshops:
1st and 2nd workshops: urban/suburban (Glasgow and Dundee)
Dundee workshop co-organised with Dundee city council, 02. December 2022
Glasgow workshop co-organised with EHRA (Easterhouse), 03. February 2023 
3rd and 4th workshops: rural (Thurso and Castletown)
Highlands workshops co-organised with the Caithness Voluntary Group, 13. & 14. Feb 2023

Workshop outcomes include:
ranked list of challenges people face 
list of specific issues in their locality 
discussion of suggestions and potential solutions for these issues 

This project aims to help enable a just transition to low carbon heat and mobility in Scotland, by providing important insights through stakeholder and community engagement, taking a bottom-up approach to policy making and providing a voice to the communities from the start. 

The objectives of this project are:
To identify groups affected by fuel and transport poverty in Scotland.
To assess what specific challenges/barriers these groups face.
To explore the links/joint challenges of fuel and transport poverty.
To start identifying potential solutions, from a citizens’ perspective, to alleviate these challenges.

Common themes emerging across workshops, e.g. public transport, cost of fuel/energy, etc.
However, clear differences can be seen, especially between urban and rural locations. E.g.:
Personal safety
Distance, travelling time, etc.
Types of fuelling and payment (e.g. oil, gas, electricity)
The joint challenges can be more complex and go deeper than what is commonly referred to on the literature. 
Similar overall challenges, but these impact people very differently, depending on location, housing situation, health/disabilities, income level, etc.
Top-down policies/solutions may not be effective in tackling these issues
E.g. access to services (‘transport poverty’) for certain communities and/or groups will not be solved with cheaper petrol/diesel. 
Welfare payments not fit for purpose?
Low awareness and/or accessibility on existing support (e.g. energy efficiency grants)
Difficulty defining and measuring transport poverty (complexity and heterogeneity of issues)