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Liberal Democrats believe that no one should be penalised by fuel prices just because they live in a rural community.
We have said over and over to Governments in Edinburgh and London that for many of these communities driving is not a luxury, it is a necessity due to the lack of public transport alternatives.
Ever year Liberal Democrat MPs at Westminster tried to amend the Finance Bill to introduce a fuel duty discount for rural and island communities.
The Scottish Parliament passed a Liberal Democrat motion calling on the Scottish and UK Governments to work together to secure cheaper fuel.
But the SNP and Labour Governments of the day refused to work together for the good of Scotland.
Now with Liberal Democrats in Government there is a chance to deliver fairer fuel prices for rural areas.
Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, has announced that the coalition government will introduce a fuel duty pilot scheme covering the Northern Isles and the Inner and Outer Hebrides that will see fuel prices fall by up to 5 pence per litre.
Commenting, George Lyon MEP said:
"The pilot scheme will not start immediately and fuel prices will not come down over night. But this is a massive leap forward down the road to fair fuel prices in rural and island communities.
"I will continue to work closely with Michael Moore and Danny Alexander, two Liberal Democrats in Government who know what it is like to live in rural communities that suffer from high fuel prices.
"We will now speak to our friends in Europe to try to seek agreement on the pilot scheme. Some European countries have been enjoying the benefits of cheaper fuel in rural areas for years - it is time Scotland did too."
If you support moves by Liberal Democrats in Government to work towards fuel duty reduction in rural areas then please sign our petition today.
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