Central Bedfordshire Council: Warm spaces
Date Added: 21/11/2022
Central Bedfordshire Council are acutely aware of the rising cost of living and the pressure this will put on some of their residents. There is a wide range of support that Central Bedfordshire Council are putting in place to let you know about some funding for warm spaces.
They have set up a dedicated cost of living information hub on our website, which is full of information and resources that can help anyone concerned about the cost of living. For more information, visit: www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/cost-of-living.
Recognising the pressures facing residents, they are providing more funding to support important voluntary and community groups such as Citizens Advice and foodbanks this winter. Our new Ward Councillor Grants are also being used to support a variety of local voluntary organisations too.
They are also increasing their direct support to the most vulnerable in our communities, including children, those in receipt of state pensions, disabled people and those on low incomes to help with food, energy and water bills and other wider essentials. This includes providing food vouchers in the school holidays for children eligible for free school meals. You can find out more about this support on our website. We will be contacting those who are eligible for this support, but individuals will also be able to apply to us via the website.
They already have schemes in place to provide emergency funding to help households in crisis and will be adding this with a new crisis fund through their Children’s Centres, more details about this will be available soon.
Following a successful scheme last year, they are launching another grant scheme for low income households living in poor energy rating homes to enable them to make home improvements that will make your homes warmer and cheaper to run. You can find more information about this on our website.
They’re also launching a network of Warm Spaces. As part of that, they will be making grants available to support community and voluntary organisations to set up your own Warm Spaces.
A Warm Space is designed to be used by residents during the day to help keep warm as temperatures fall and energy prices rise.
Our 12 libraries and six leisure centres are available as Warm Spaces, and everyone is welcome. Four of our six leisure centres have cafes available for people to use, and libraries offer free Wi-Fi and access to public computers, as well as seating so people can enjoy time with a book. You can find a list of Warm Spaces on our website: www.centralbedfordshire.gov.uk/warm-spaces.
Please let us know if you have a Warm Space you would like us to add to our website or if you’d like to express an interest in applying for funding to set up your own Warm Space. Please email [email protected]
with the following information:
• The address of the Warm Space
• Hours of opening
• What will be available (for example a hot drink, wifi, company, toilets etc.)
• How people can book, or if it will be a drop in service
• Accessibility
• Contact details
You may find this booklet useful if you’re thinking of setting up a warm space.