CHANCELLOR George Osborne is under pressure to slash the tax on fuel for remote areas of the North East after island communities were promised a 5p cut.
AA president Edmund King said drivers in remote parts of Northumberland had just as strong a case for a reduction as the price of unleaded petrol reaches £1.30 a litre in the region.
His comments came after Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander announced plans to reduce fuel duty by 5p in island and remote communities, just weeks before the Budget.
Mr King, a visiting professor of transport at Newcastle University, said: “Drivers in the Highland communities, the Northern Isles, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Islands of the Clyde and the Isles of Scilly will welcome these proposals to cut fuel duty. Incomes in these areas tend to be lower and pump prices are always higher than the national average hence many hard-pressed families just can’t afford to fill up.
“However, with record prices at the pumps across the North East at 130.9p a litre for unleaded and 136.43p a litre for diesel there is a very strong case for fuel duty reductions across the board.
“I am sure that low-income drivers in remote areas of Northumberland will have as equally a strong case for fuel duty reductions due to hardship.”
He added: “We would like to see the Chancellor act to relieve the burden of spiralling fuel costs for all drivers and businesses across the UK.”
Speaking at the Scottish Liberal Democrat spring conference in Perth, Mr Alexander said the discount was intended to help “hard-hit families” who generally pay higher fuel prices due to their outlying locations.
Mr Alexander said: “We will be submitting a formal application to the European Commission to deliver a 5p discount on fuel duty for Highland communities, the Northern Isles, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Islands of the Clyde and the Isles of Scilly too.
“These are places, more than anywhere in the country, feeling the pressure of high fuel prices. The pressure is huge on families in these areas, and I’m delighted to be part of the Government that, for the first time ever, is going to deliver that help to hard-hit families.”
Mr King’s stance was backed last night by countryside groups. Tim Price, rural affairs specialist for the UK’s leading rural insurer NFU Mutual, said: “This Government proposal does not go far enough to help the vast majority of rural communities. Any reduction in fuel duty is welcome but most people living and working in the countryside are still being overlooked.
“Many farmers, rural businesses and communities are feeling the pressure of high fuel prices. By giving welcome – but limited – support to remote areas of Scotland and the Isles of Scilly, the Government is barely scratching the surface of a problem which is crippling the countryside.”
