As the cost of living continues to bite, councils are looking into ways that they can help residents with rising energy bills.
Some are planning to open public spaces, such as libraries, so people who can't afford to heat their homes can use them as 'warm banks'
So what are 'warm banks'?
Public spaces such as community centres, churches, art galleries and libraries could be used as 'warm banks', so people who struggle to heat their homes this winter will have a place to go away from the cold.
The idea is being mooted by councils across the UK as the cost of living crisis intensifies, with the energy price rise again from January.
The average yearly bill from household on a default tariff will rise by £1,578, and the energy cap is expected to rise again in January.
now councils are looking for a way to provide these spaces for free.
Which cities will they be in?
Bristol, Birmingham, London, Gateshead, Dundee, Aberdeen, and Glasgow are the cities considering introducing 'warm banks'.
Other councils including Southend, in Essex, Sheffield, in Yorkshire and several in Nottinghamshire have already started creating similar plans
What has the government said?
The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England, said while local authorities were doing " all they can", 'warm banks' were "not alternatives" to providing householders with "adequate resources" to making heating their homes affordable.
Cllr Andrew Western, chair of the LGA's resources board, said " The mainstream welfare system should ensure people have sufficient means to meet true living costs and councils and local living partners need adequate resources to provide targeted and effective crisis support alongside services which increase opportunity and lift people out of poverty for good."
Asked about plans for so-called 'warm banks' in libraries, community centres and art galleries. Department for Digital, Culture and media and Sport (DCMS) minister Matt Warman said "Those are initiatives put forward by local councils that are for them."
"What the government has to do and has done up to this point and will continue to do in the future is make sure that people have got the resources to heat their own homes."
"Those initiatives that put forward, I think, will be welcome to some people. of course they will be."
"But what the government is doing and will continue to do is focusing on giving people the resources they need in their own homes, rather than having to leave them."
Follow The Manchester Journal on Instagram and Twitter here...
This article has been written for educational purposes, the information for the article has been taken from ITV News
Comments