Funding Approved to Reduce Winter Deaths
Councillors have agreed to allocate £150,000 aimed at reducing winter deaths and assisting vulnerable individuals in staying warm during cold weather.
North Yorkshire Council members voted to provide £50,000 annually over the next three years to Citizens Advice to support its Warm and Well scheme.
This service assists people in understanding energy deals, offers certain discounts, and provides advice on fuel debt and energy saving.
Councillor Liz Colling, who proposed the funding, stated:
"It supports the most vulnerable in our communities at low cost to this authority."
‘Excellent Investment’
An identical funding request was rejected by the council last year, despite Warm and Well assisting 10,000 people in 2024, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Colling noted that £50,000 would not fully cover the service’s operational costs but would serve as a "base" enabling Citizens Advice to secure additional grants from companies such as British Gas and Northern Powergrid.
She added:
"In total, this allowed Citizens Advice to bring in around £650,000 a year for energy funding in North Yorkshire, employing 20 individuals and running a countywide telephone service."
"I suggest it is an excellent investment of a modest amount of money to raise those benefits for our residents."
Supporting the motion, Councillor Steve Shaw-Wright commented that it would be the "best £50,000 ... this council spent for a long time."
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