The Cost of Remoteness

Introduction

The Scottish Government commissioned the Centre for Research in Social Policy to undertake research in remote rural Scotland to identify what is needed for a minimum, socially acceptable standard of living in these areas. 

The research is based on discussions with groups of people from different sorts of households, living in remote rural mainland and island areas, to identify minimum needs – and minimum household budgets – and how these vary from those established through ongoing research in urban UK. The research established a baseline of minimum needs for these areas and used these to calculate a percentage ‘uplift’ to be applied to the Minimum Income Standard benchmarks in the Scottish fuel poverty calculation.

The Cost of Remoteness: Research Reports

The reports present estimates of certain additional costs that make it more expensive to meet a minimum acceptable living standard in remote areas of Scotland. 

• The cost of remoteness - reflecting higher living costs in remote rural Scotland when measuring fuel poverty: research report
• The cost of remoteness: reflecting higher living costs in remote rural Scotland when measuring fuel poverty