Fuel bills could rocket to £7k

SCOTLAND’s cost of living crisis could see energy bills rocket to almost £7,000 a year this winter amid redundancies and cuts across local authorities.

Experts believe that by January bills could shoot up from last year’s average of £153 per month to as much as £571. The analysis is based on price cap rise predictions made by energy analysts.

Inverclyde Council leader Stephen McCabe told the Sunday Mail he faces a £20million budget shortfall and fears ‘tens of thousands’ of Scots jobs would be cut.

Tory local government spokesman Miles Briggs blamed ‘years of chronic under-funding of councils by the SNP Government’.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘We will continue to do everything within our powers to help those most affected.’