Councils to consider winter 'warm banks'

Councils are considering using churches, community centres and libraries as socalled 'warm banks' for people unable to afford to heat their homes this winter.

As Birmingham became the latest to announce plans to ‘map out’ spaces in the city where people can go to keep warm, council chiefs warned that they should not be seen as an alternative to providing householders with "adequate resources" to make heating their homes affordable.

The Local Government Association (LGA) said local authorities are doing "all they can" in the face of rocketing energy bills.

Although the idea of such spaces is not new, their existence was highlighted by consumer rights campaigner Martin Lewis, earlier this year.

In a tweet to to his 1.7million followers in July, he said: "Can't believe I'm writing this, but I wonder if this winter we’ll need 'warm banks' – the equivalent of 'food banks' – where people who can't afford heating can spend their days at no cost with heating.”

A number of councils up and down the country are known to be investigating suitable buildings.

Cllr Andrew Western, chair of the LGA's resources board, said: "As we enter the forthcoming winter months, councils are taking practical steps to support people in their community who need it the most. These include the development of warm hubs."

He added: "Although councils are doing all they can, these schemes are not alternatives to ensuring people can afford to heat their homes through the winter months.

"The mainstream welfare system should ensure people have sufficient means to meet true living costs."