The ending of the Scottish Government’s rural petrol station grant scheme in 2008 has resulted in a significant reduction in support for outlying petrol stations according to Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP Murdo Fraser.
In a series of written Parliamentary Questions, the Conservative MSP revealed that in its ten years of operation the RPGS awarded, on average, 17 grants per year (173 in 10 years) to garages across Scotland. Since Scottish Enterprise and HIE took over the funding responsibilities that number has been reduced to an average of 7.4 grants per year or 37 grants between April 2008 and March 2013.
Figures provided by the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) has shown that 97 petrol forecourts have shut down north of the Border between 2010 and 2012, representing a 14% decline in Scotland and the fastest rate of closures anywhere in Britain.
In 1970 there were 37,500 forecourts across Britain, now only 8,600 remain
Commenting Murdo Fraser MSP said:
“As can be seen from the statistics there were 173 awards made to petrol stations in Scotland between 1998/9 and 2007/8 but just 37 between April 2008 and March 2013. This is a substantial reduction in funding.
“Rural communities have been hit particularly hard by the closure of petrol stations. The number of closures has reached the stage where some rural residents in Highland Perthshire must travel over 30 minutes to their nearest petrol station.
“Although the presence of large scale ‘fuel deserts’ has yet to occur, the Scottish Government must ensure that it dispenses the right amount of support to prevent this from happening.
“In rural communities where public transport is neither efficient nor frequent, owning a car is essential. Therefore the Scottish Government must reassess the way in which it supports rural forecourts in order to practice a more pro-active approach.”