The Lochaber food bank in Fort William claims energy multinational SSE tried to "rip them off". After a year of fighting – and questions from The Ferret – it has received an apology. But it's still being charged more than £10k.
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The Lochaber food bank in Fort William claims energy multinational SSE tried to "rip them off". After a year of fighting – and questions from The Ferret – it has received an apology. But it's still being charged more than £10k.
A multinational energy firm accused of "trying to rip off a food bank" in Fort William for £24,000 has finally apologised and promised to charge the charity the correct amount after almost a year. But volunteers say they are "appalled" that the bill is still set to cost £10,000.
The Lochaber food bank, in Fort William, which is run entirely by volunteers, spent 12 months fighting the “inflated” bill, presented to them in December 2024 and even involved the Ombudsman.
Charges were later reduced to almost £17,000, but it was only when The Ferret made enquiries that SSE finally agreed to use the “actual meter readings” submitted by food bank volunteers and reduce the VAT from business to charity rates.
However its latest bill for over £10,000 includes arrears charged at rates that the food bank says are double what was agreed as well as meter readings it disputes entirely.
Since 2014 the food bank has opened six hours a week and runs on donations from the local community, using a local space for free. Trustees running the space assumed that energy bills were also covered.
Last December it emerged that the property had been missed from SSE’s systems and bills started to arrive. Trustees of the food bank were told that under Ofgem rules it would not be charged more than a year in arrears because of its charity status.
They contacted SSE explaining the food bank used minimal energy, including lighting, fridges and freezers. Its bill was worked out as an anticipated £1,700 per year and volunteers agreed to send monthly readings.
But the following month a bill for £24,040 arrived and the trustees realised they were being charged at the 20 per cent business rate of VAT. SSE later agreed to reduce the bill to £16,778.91, an amount which the food bank claimed was still grossly inflated and unfair.
Following our investigation, food bank trustees were told that the amount owed will be recalculated with re-issued invoices based on the correct rates and VAT issued by 4 December.
Volunteer food bank trustee John Fotheringham said SSE had since sent the latest bill for £10,000 – an amount he still believes is far too high.
Fotheringham claimed he was "flummoxed" by the ongoing dispute which had been a “stressful and painful experience which SSE could have avoided if they had adopted sympathetic and supportive customer service”.
He added: “When we first contacted SSE we said we were happy to set-up a payment system. It was forecast that we would be paying £1,780 a year which still seemed fairly reasonable. So you can imagine the shock when we received a bill for £24,000.
“SSE took the attitude that was just what we owed – it didn’t matter that we were a food bank or that it had been their mistake that they hadn’t sent us any bills or that they had used inflated readings.”
A spokesperson for the company told us it apologised for “the distress and inconvenience caused to Lochaber Foodbank” and claimed it had now taken “a comprehensive review of the account” and would adjust its billing accordingly.
Fotheringham shared original meter readings with us and the seemingly inflated readings included on the final bill. These were also shared with the Energy Ombudsman though this, he says, did not lead to any resolution.
He said he was "ashamed" to be a SSE shareholder and is concerned this this case is not unique. “There is no other way to put it," he added. "They were trying to rip a food bank off.”
Paul Dobson
His experience of bad practice by the energy company is not limited to this case. He is the treasurer at Kilmonivaig Parish Church, in Spean Bridge, which earlier this year faced a 51 per cent increase from £180 to £277 in their direct debit “for no apparent reason”. Since then this has been resolved with SSE with the monthly debit reduced to £183.
“It appears large utility companies can act with impunity without any fear of consequences,” he added. “SSE stresses its contribution to Scottish society yet we have had to seek media help to persuade them to treat us fairly. Those who don’t have the skills or confidence just get ignored.”
SSE is also developing a pumped hydro storage project in the area, Coire Glas, which it claims will be capable of generating enough renewable energy to power “three million homes in just under five minutes” when operational. The company has invested £100m in the hydro scheme. However Fotheringham claimed any future investment or policy support by UK or Scottish Governments should be conditional against fairer energy prices for the local community.
Flick Monk, community and public energy campaigner at climate justice co-op, Platform, said: “SSE’s callous treatment of the Lochaber Food Bank shows exactly how corporate energy giants prioritise profit over people. Volunteers working to keep their neighbours fed shouldn’t be hit with five-figure bills for power they barely use.
"If SSE can’t keep their word to a local charity, how could we ever trust them with a multi-billion pound energy project right on people’s doorsteps? Our energy system should be publicly owned and accountable to local people.”
SSE has made billions in profit and its chief executive earns £1m a year while its customers have been driven into poverty by sky high bills.
Stuart Bretherton, Fuel Poverty Action
Stuart Bretherton, spokesperson for Fuel Poverty Action, added: "Food and energy are two of our most basic needs, human rights that are essential for any sort of decent standard of living.
"But SSE has made billions in profit and its chief executive earns £1m a year while its customers have been driven into poverty by sky high bills. Now they're attacking vital public services that they've helped to make a necessity for communities here in Scotland and the wider UK, while being provided with subsidies that drain the public purse and drive our bills up even more."
Last March an arm of the energy company apologised after around 17,000 customers received incorrect bills. Thousands of customers of SSE Airtricity were sent incorrect bills, with many overcharged.
The Liberal Democrat MP for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, Angus MacDonald, said local people, businesses and charities across the Highlands were routinely paying grossly inflated and unfair prices for their energy.
Last month he raised questions in the UK Parliament about the impact of fuel poverty on Highland communities. He added: “This ridiculous situation is not at all unusual in the Highlands. Many of my constituents can see wind turbines from their windows but their bills are higher than they would be if they lived in the city. Fuel bills in the Highlands are crippling and action must now be taken.”
The Energy Ombudsman told The Ferret the case had been “fully investigated” and resolved, a claim initially disputed by food bank trustees. “We also required SSE to issue an apology, pay £125 as a goodwill gesture, and send a VAT declaration form to reflect its charitable status,” a spokesperson added.
A spokesperson for SSE said it “sincerely apologises for the distress and inconvenience caused” to Lochaber Foodbank.
“We have conducted a comprehensive review of the account and applied back-billing adjustments to correct the previous charges,” they added. “Alongside this, we are fully implementing the Energy Ombudsman’s actions to rebill at the correct VAT rate for charitable status and updating the account with verified meter readings. “We’re engaging directly with the customer to keep them informed and ensure a fair resolution."
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