Rises in the cost of domestic energy could see councils struggling to meet commitments on reducing fuel poverty.
This is the view of Jimmy Black, housing convener at Dundee City Council, who told the Courier that ScottishPower's plans to raise gas prices by 19 per cent from this August could undermine the local authority's initiatives.
"The council's efforts to tackle fuel poverty are inevitably going to fail. All power companies will increase their prices and all progress made is undone by these steep hikes.
"It's a real problem for people," he added.
The other five of the Big Six energy suppliers have not ruled out the possibility of further price hikes this year, in part because wholesale energy costs have soared in the last few months.
Meanwhile, energy secretary Chris Huhne said that while the energy supplier's announcement is "disappointing", it seeks to highlight the importance of reducing the UK's dependence on fossil fuels.
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