Council help with central heating scheme backlog

Feb 14 2008 By Graham Fraser

SOUTH Lanarkshire Council have pledged to help the national government on their under-fire central heating programme.

The initiative, which has been in operation since 2001, offers free central heating installations to elderly people who currently don’t have central heating or who live in a property where the current system is not working properly.

However, the scheme has run into difficulties with demand far outstripping supply.

The Age Concern charity claimed as recently as November that the national waiting list for a new heating system was approaching the 11,000 mark.

As a result, South Lanarkshire Council — along with four other local authorities — have decided to lend their support in tackling the issue.

A council spokesperson said: “The Scottish government have in place a central-heating programme that is administered by Communities Scotland and delivered by Scottish Gas.

“Following the government pledging a further £7million towards this scheme, Communities Scotland recently contacted councils with a view to seeking their assistance in enhancing the number of installations that will be carried out up to March 31.

“South Lanarkshire Council have responded positively to this and have agreed to deliver 46 heating installations to the elderly in private sector households — non-council tenanted properties — who are presently on the existing central-heating-programme waiting list.

“Scottish Gas will write to each of the households who will have their central heating installed by the council’s partner contractor to advise them of this.

“Scottish Gas will deal directly with all other installations in South Lanarkshire.

“The council will deliver these installations through the council’s partner central-heating installer.”

The move has been cautiously welcomed by Hamilton resident Winnie Vettraino (77).

The sports coach, who lives in a private house, had her central-heating system installed through the scheme in October — but has not found the experience to be trouble-free since then.

She said: “I do welcome the move from the council and hopefully it will help people in my situation.”

However, she added: “I am still having problems with my system and I am having trouble getting it sorted out.

“It doesn’t seem to be the authority or the government who are at fault, but is seems to be more the fault of the people who are actually installing it.”