Art galleries and libraries to become ‘warm banks’ as energy bills hit £3,500

Councils draw up plans to use public buildings as refuges for people who cannot afford to heat homes

Art galleries and libraries are set to become “warm banks” for people struggling to heat their homes (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Art galleries and libraries are set to become “warm banks” for people struggling to heat their homes as energy bills soar to £3,500.

Bills are expected to rise by 80 per cent in October to £3,549 per year for an average household – more than three times last winter’s level.

The government has been warned lives will be put at risk unless it takes urgent action to shield families from massive price hikes, which are expected to leave some 8.9 million households in fuel poverty, according to charity bosses.

Councils across the country have been drawing up plans to use public buildings as refuges for people who cannot afford to heat their homes, in a similar way food banks are available for those who need essentials, according to The Times.

Last month, The Independent reported council officials in Bristol and Gateshead were already working to set up free public warm spaces as energy prices rocketed.

And now Birmingham, Dundee, Glasgow and Aberdeen councils are also among those looking into providing similar schemes.

Council officers in Birmingham are said to be investigating community centres, places of worship and libraries as potential “warm banks”. Residents will reportedly be able to search a “heat bank map” to find their nearest facility.

Councillor John Cotton, cabinet member for social justice, community safety and equalities at Birmingham city council, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We want to help people to find places where they will be welcomed, free of charge.

“As a council we will then work with our partners across the city to identify gaps in provision and find solutions to fill them.

“It should not be the case that people cannot afford to keep their homes warm, but that is the reality that we are facing here in Birmingham.”

Bills are expected to rise by 80 per cent in October to £3,549 per year for an average household – more than three times last winter’s level. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Bristol City Council was one of the first local authorities to look at setting up “warm places” to open in the autumn.

Mayor Marvin Rees said back in June: “It almost sounds like wartime but we’ll be working with community organisations and partners around the city to set up warm places that people can go to if they need to, come the autumn.”

Asked about plans for “warm banks” in libraries, community centres and art galleries on Tuesday, digital minister Matt Warman told LBC Radio: “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 are 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.”

He added: “Welcome though these initiatives might be for some people, they’re not going to be the only option. They shouldn’t be the only option... I’m confident that the package of help that’s there and the package of help... (from the next prime minister) will make real progress in that regard.”