Warm spaces to be created at Ipswich council buildings amid cost-of-living-crisis
The ‘warm banks’ are expected to be open from mid-October during colder days
Ipswich Borough Council plans to introduce free warm spaces and drinks to help people hit by the cost-of-living crisis get out of the cold, as part of commitments included in a new cost-of-living charter.
The charter is to be discussed at a meeting of Ipswich Borough Council’s executive next week, and includes the introduction of ‘warm banks’ at heated but underused council facilities.
Ipswich residents would have access to hot drinks, a microwave, Wi-Fi, charging points, and games and toys for children at the community rooms at the council’s sports centres, Gallery 3 at Ipswich Town Hall and the Reg Driver Centre in Christchurch Park. Warm showers for £1 are available at the sports centres.
The ‘warm banks’ are expected to be open from mid-October during days when daytime temperatures below 15 degrees centigrade are forecast. They will be run by council staff and volunteer hosts.
Councillor Neil MacDonald, Ipswich Borough Council portfolio holder for the cost of living and housing, said: “This cost-of-living charter sets out our commitment to helping local people with the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.
“A key part of this is providing ‘warm banks’ at some of our facilities, giving people who are unable to afford to heat their homes a free, safe and warm space to spend time during the winter period.”
The cost-of-living charter is a two-page document that lays out existing sources of support and commitments to strengthen and expand on them.
In terms of financial support, the charter states the council will ensure grant funding is targeted to organisations working with those affected by the cost-of-living crisis; benefits and discretionary housing payments are processed quickly and any government fund for local people or businesses is administered quickly. The promise to remove the need for the lowest earners to pay council tax from April 2023 is also included.
Alongside the provision of “warm banks”, the charter promises to ensure services for the most vulnerable are efficient – including by referring households to additional support where appropriate. It commits to supporting children during the school holidays through the Holiday Activities and Food Programme.
The cost-of-living charter also sets out ways it will inform residents of the support they can gain, improve access to this help, and work with other organisations to help them to provide it.
The charter is to be supplemented by a cost of living section on the council’s website, which will provide details of how to access support from the council and other organisations.
In August, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that nine in ten adults in Britain reported their cost of living had increased, compared with six in ten in November 2021.
More than a third of those who reported a cost-of-living increase in August had cut back on food and essentials – that’s around 16 million people.