HOUSEHOLDS in Argyll and Bute will need to be earning more than £72,000 a year if they're to avoid fuel poverty this winter, a report has warned.

And the stark reality of the situation has been described as "unthinkable" by Argyll and Bute Council's leader - and a "horrendous crisis" by one of the authority's senior Conservative councillors.

The comments came after local authority officials prepared a briefing note on the cost-of-living crisis which was considered at a full council meeting on Thursday, September 29 - and which warned that 70 per cent of Argyll and Bute's households were at risk of fuel poverty.

The briefing stated that to avoid fuel poverty, an average all-electric household in the area will need an income of at least £72,200 per annum, and to avoid extreme fuel poverty the same household will need a combined annual income of £39,600.

That compares to a median household income in Argyll and Bute of less than £33,000  - and those figures don't factor in the increased cost of other items such as food.

The document called on the Scottish and UK Governments to take action on the crisis, including urgently providing information on funding for people who do not get their energy through typical means.

The council's leader, Cllr Robin Currie (Liberal Democrat, Kintyre and the Islands) said: "This is a huge problem that has to be addressed.

"I am looking at one of the facts that to avoid fuel poverty, people need to be on an income of £72,000 or more.

“Apart from two or three people in this building (the council’s Kilmory headquarters) I do not know anybody who earns more than that.

“We are talking about the majority of our residents in Argyll and Bute being in fuel poverty – that is the stark reality and it is unthinkable.

“I have, certainly a few months ago, written to the UK Government – Michael Gove at the time – because the thing that really bugs me is why, in the North of Scotland region, which includes Argyll and Bute, do we pay more for electricity than in the central belt?

“And we are a major exporter of energy. It really does not make sense now, in the 21st century, so we have really got to get this addressed.

“We have brought it up at lots of meetings in the past few weeks and months, but we need action.”

Councillor Yvonne McNeilly (Conservative, Cowal), who is also the authority's policy lead on education, then said: “There is a horrendous crisis going on, and to think that people in urban areas are not suffering either would be quite wrong.

“I am slightly confused about where we are on this. We have a briefing note with very specific recommendations about what the key issues are.

“We should go to the governments and I have no issues with lobbying whatsoever.

"But I need a bit more clarity about what the next steps would be.”

Council chief executive Pippa Milne said: “We have a range of options on how we might want to make that point. There is a role for our own members to go forward, having agreed with the council what we may want to do in relation to this.”

Councillor McNeilly then said: “There are three strands to this. We put it to COSLA (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the umbrella body for councillors) stating the situation, we put it to the First Minister, and we put it to Alister Jack as Scottish Secretary.”

Councillor Currie added: “We are doing that and much more. I took it up at the economic partnership, which is a group in the Highlands and Islands area, and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are doing a paper for the business side of things.

“I have also had a meeting with OFGEM. They are now engaging and listening to what is being said.”