The decision not to extend rural fuel duty relief to Ceredigion has been described as a ‘bitter pill to swallow’.

The UK Labour Government has confirmed that it will not extend the rural fuel duty relief scheme to parts of rural Wales.

The Rural Fuel Duty Relief Scheme helps lower the cost of petrol in 21 areas across the UK, including rural regions of Scotland and England.

Fuel retailers in these areas can apply for relief of 5p per litre of petrol or diesel, which is then passed on to consumers.

Research has found that those living in rural areas spend an average of £800 more on fuel costs a year than urban counterparts.

Ceredigion Preseli MP, Ben Lake, who has long campaigned for the scheme to be extended to rural Wales, said: “The decision not to extend the Rural Fuel Duty Relief Scheme to Ceredigion is a bitter pill to swallow, especially as it follows the Competition and Market Authority’s most recent monitoring report last week which found that prices for both petrol and diesel rose between October 2024 and February 2025.

“In rural areas such as Ceredigion Preseli, where car dependence is significantly higher than other parts of the country due to poor public transport, the Rural Fuel Duty Relief Scheme would offer much needed respite for household finances.

“The 5p per litre discount that the scheme offers is recognised as an important measure to support rural areas in other parts of the UK, and there is no good reason why the Government denies such support to rural areas in Wales.”

The confirmation that the scheme won’t be rolled comes following questioning by Welsh Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick, who said: “By refusing to extend the scheme to Wales, they are showing they simply don’t care about the struggles of rural communities.”