A wide-ranging and unusually united Westminster Hall debate this week put the Rural Fuel Duty Relief scheme firmly back on the political agenda. The debate underlined just how acute the rural premium has become for countryside families and businesses. 

The debate was secured by Ian Roome MP (LD, North Devon), who set out a compelling case for reform. He reminded colleagues that the scheme delivers a 5p-per-litre rebate at a small number of filling stations in the most remote areas, but has not been uprated since 2012, despite inflation eroding around a third of its real value. For rural motorists with no realistic alternatives to driving, that stagnation is significant. 

MPs from across the UK echoed those concerns. David Chadwick MP (LD, Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe) highlighted the glaring anomaly that no part of Wales currently qualifies, while Brendan O’Hara MP (SNP, Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber) and Angus MacDonald MP (LD, Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire) described eye-watering fuel prices in the Highlands and islands, questioning whether the rebate is always reaching consumers. 

Countryside Alliance research featured directly in the debate. Richard Foord MP (LD, Honiton and Sidmouth) cited our analysis showing that rural households spend £700–£800 more per year on fuel than their urban counterparts, reflecting longer journeys, sparse public transport and a lack of competition at the pump. That is the rural premium in stark terms: a daily, unavoidable cost simply for living and working in the countryside. 

Other MPs reinforced the wider picture. Ben Maguire MP (LD, North Cornwall) pointed out that people in rural Cornwall rely on cars for around 75% of journeys and can face fuel prices 10–15% higher than elsewhere. Torcuil Crichton MP (Lab, Na h-Elieanan an Iar) reminded the House that the scheme is widely seen as a success in the Scottish islands, but has quietly been allowed to wither. Jim Shannon MP (DUP, Strangford) argued strongly for extension to rural Northern Ireland, where public transport is minimal and cross-border fuel price disparities are acute. 

Responding for the government, Treasury Minister Dan Tomlinson MP acknowledged the pressures facing rural areas but stopped short of committing to uprating or expanding the scheme, saying there are currently no plans to change eligibility. 

For the Countryside Alliance, the message from this debate is clear. There is broad, cross-party recognition that rural motorists are being left behind, and that the Rural Fuel Duty Relief scheme – modest in cost at around £5 million a year – delivers real benefits where it applies. The government’s current proposals for electric vehicle road pricing, however, take no account of the need for rural motorists to take more and longer journeys, so risk missing a prime opportunity to restore some measure of fairness. The Alliance will respond to the ongoing consultation soon. 

For the time being, updating Rural Fuel Duty Relief to reflect inflation, ensuring it is properly passed on, and extending it to more rural communities would be practical, affordable steps towards tackling the rural premium. Ministers now have a clear opportunity, at the next fiscal event, to prove that rural Britain has been heard.