Westminster View - Act now to avoid power and heating disruption

I was also pleased to update the council on my work with the Arbroath Town Board who are doing exceptional work behind the scenes in continuing to progress funding for the town. From May 28 they will be running drop-in workshops at the Old & Abbey Church, West Abbey Street, for folk to come and have their say about the future of Arbroath. It’s vital that residents continue to voice their views on the plans – have a look at the Our Arbroath website for more details about the workshops: www.ourarbroath.com.

I have also been offering support where I can in setting up a twinning agreement between Sumy Oblast in Ukraine and Angus, alongside Councillor Lloyd Melville, who brought a motion to Angus Council on this issue back in March. The motion was supported by the council who entered a ‘Friendship Agreement’ with Sumy Oblast to foster cultural ties and build civic links.

I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight to readers that the Radio Teleswitch Service (RTS) is being switched off on June 30, having reached the end of its operational life. RTS uses a radio signal to tell some older electricity meters when to switch between peak and off-peak rates.

It supports those who use electricity for their heating and hot water. This may include those living in rural areas with no mains gas connection, those who use electric storage systems, panel heaters or immersion heaters in water tanks. While you are not obliged to accept a smart meter, if you do decide not to upgrade, you should be aware that the heating and/or hot water in your home could be affected.

It will also mean that your electricity supplier won’t be able to confirm how much electricity has been used during peak or off-peak times, which means your electricity costs could be much higher than before. If you have not yet heard from your energy provider, don’t panic but don’t delay in contacting them. I would encourage anyone who needs support with this process to call Home Energy Scotland on 0808 808 2282, or any number of other advice organisations.