'We need more heatbanks or I fear we could see a pensioner lose their life'
There's calls for more so-called 'heatbanks' across Devon from Luke Pollard MP
Last updated 11th Oct 2022
Across Devon there's calls for more churches, libraries and cafes to offer so-called 'heatbanks' this Winter - to help those struggling with energy bills.
We've been to see Plymouth's Moments Café - a social enterprise which offers a range of support services - where they are laying on extra free activities and keeping a watchful eye on people to check they are ok.
Plymouth Sutton and Devonport MP Luke Pollard has just launched his campaign at the venue, urging Plymouth City Council to create more so-called 'heat banks' across Plymouth – which he says are 'warm spaces for people who cannot afford to turn on their heating during the ongoing cost-of-living crisis'.
He said: "The purpose of the heat banks campaign is to extend the opening hours of libraries, community centres and other public buildings in Plymouth this winter to provide somewhere warm for residents struggling to pay their energy bills during the cost-of-living crisis."
Moments Café |newtab)is a Social Enterprise run by Memory Matters, a dementia support organisation which offers a safe environment for people to meet, eat and socialise and is open 9:30-4:30pm six days a week.
It comes as a former Sainsbury's boss has claimed that cost-of-living challenges are more severe than at any time since the 1970s, as he criticised the Government's policy on energy bills.
Speaking on Sky News, Justin King argued against a blanket reduction in fuel costs and said that a means-tested system could provide greater support to those in need.
It comes after Asda announced it would offer cheap meals in its cafes to help over-60s struggling with spiralling living costs.
Mr King, now a non-executive director at Marks & Spencer, said: "I think supermarkets have always taken very seriously the role that they play in helping their customers, if you like, make ends meet.
"The 1970s... is probably the last time the challenges to households were as great."
However, Mr King stressed that thin profit margins meant that supermarkets could only offer limited support.
"Even if they invested, say, half of their potential profits in this kind of activity it's only going to make a small dent - but an important dent, I would suggest," he said.
On Thursday, Asda announced that its cafes would sell a bread roll, soup and cups of tea and coffee to pensioners for £1 over November and December as they "worry about how to keep themselves warm".
It came a few days after a surge in energy prices, which saw the average household's annual bills rise by almost £600.
According to research from Age UK, 2.8 million pensioners will not be able to properly heat their homes this winter despite the energy price cap being frozen.
Mr King also took aim at the Government's decision to apply the cap to all households, arguing that a more targeted approach would be more effective.
"As a general rule I don't think the Government should be giving to those people who can afford to pay their bills, so it can give more money to those who are going to struggle," he said.
"I think targeting is perfectly possible, initially through the benefits system, but through some kinds of means testing.
"It may be painful to household budgets in the short term, but we have to have a different relationship with energy as a society.