Plea to Sturgeon: Open public buildings and stop people freezing to death

Now Nicola Sturgeon is being urged to take action to support local authorities in Scotland - where the winters are colder - to do the same.

Greater Manchester and Lancashire councils are among those who have said that some of its public buildings such as libraries could be used as "warm and welcome places" amid fears vulnerable people could freeze to death this winter.

The mayor of Bristol, Marvin Rees said the south west of England city is actively organising a city-wide network of warm place which it is hoped will be established in October.

The first ever social security and financial well-being survey conducted for the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations found that one in four Scots households were in arrears.

The survey involving 14 housing association members which participated in the survey who cater for 34,000 households found that of those who were not in receipt of any benefits, only 19% were in arrears.

The federation said that the increasing cost of living was cited by most respondents as the reason tenants have faced challenges over the last three months in relation to their finances, with reports of an increasing number of tenants struggling to afford essentials like food and fuel.

The federation said there has therefore been a higher demand for foodbank referrals and fuel vouchers, with one respondent reporting a "general feeling of wider financial hardship".

One organisation also reported that single, working age people were most likely to be struggling with fuel poverty.

Around 1.5m Scots households saw their energy bills soar by up to £693 a year after the energy market regulator Ofgem hiked the price cap by the biggest increase yet.

From April 1, the three in four customers on default tariffs paying by direct debit saw an increase of £693 from £1,277 to £1971 while the rest who are on prepayment meters - and tend to be among the most vulnerable - have seen a rise of £708 from £1,309 to £2017.

The sharp 54% rise, which will impact half the population, was said to be driven by a record rise in global gas prices, with wholesale prices quadrupling in the last year.

Ofgem has since then said this cap could reach £2,800 by October, pushing more families into hardship at the start of winter.

But forecasts from Cornwall Insight, predict that another price hike could actually push the cap to £3,244 per year from October.

And campaigning organisation Don’t Pay UK has estimated that up to 6.3million households won’t be able to afford their energy bills and will be unable to heat their homes this winter.

The Scottish Tenants Organisation has written to Nicola Sturgeon to intervene by supporting the establishment of heat banks and warm spaces in public buildings "to stop people freezing to death".

In a message to Scottish ministers, they said: "We need to set up communal heat banks and and warm spaces throughout Scotland with funding coming from the Scottish Government to local authorities so that they can stop people from dying from the cold of winter and have access to food, health, education and financial advice. This is going to happen in the City of Bristol and Berlin in Germany and yet Scotland has a very cold and damp climate and [as far as we know] nothing is planned with excess winter related deaths likely...if nothing is done."

In order to mitigate the effects of the cost of living crisis, SFHA is calling for changes to the UK social security system, including removing the benefit cap and the two-child limit and increasing personal allowances in line with inflation.

SFHA is also calling for the UK and Scottish Governments to urgently step up efforts to make tenants aware of the financial support that is available, and to make this support available quickly.

One in 12 of all UK children now live in families hit by the two-child limit, the government’s controversial cap on benefits that cuts household income by at least £2,800 a year and puts affected youngsters at risk of poverty and emotional harm.

Sean Clerkin, campaign co-ordinator for the STO, told ministers: "I am calling on the Scottish Government to intervene and put together an action plan with local authorities to ensure that our elderly, disabled, sick and low income families are protected this winter.

We have to take action now to save lives and I call on our First Minister to put extra money on the table for local authorities so that we can open public buildings like libraries, town and church halls to refurbish these buildings to help our people in Scotland.

"It is a National Emergency and our politicians should step up."

Sally Thomas, SFHA chief executive said: “Housing associations and co-operatives have always worked hard to support their tenants when they’re struggling financially, but the cost of living crisis has increased demand for this help. Our members are reporting that an increasing number of tenants are struggling to meet their basic needs, and there is high demand for foodbank referrals and emergency fuel vouchers, including from tenants who do not receive benefits or those who have not required this type of support previously.

“In order to support those worst affected by the cost of living crisis, we need urgent changes to the UK social security system, including removing the benefit cap and the two-child limit and increasing personal allowances, to help ensure people can meet their basic needs such as food and fuel costs.”

Meanwhile, the Work and Pension committee group of MPs have said that government must pause benefits deductions to give struggling households “much-needed breathing space” during the cost-of-living crisis.

Automatic payments to the Government and others, taken out of people’s benefits, should be halted as claimants battle soaring costs, they said.

Deductions are taken by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) from people’s benefits to pay off debts, which could include advance payments of benefits, and previous errors or overpayments of benefits by the Government.

For example, new Universal Credit claimants face a five-week wait while their claim is assessed before receiving their first payment.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “It is, first and foremost, imperative that those worried about or struggling with heating their homes access the information and support they need to reduce their energy bills, and we have expanded the capacity of our Home Energy Scotland advice service this year to help an extra 12,000 households a year receive free, impartial advice.

“Within our limited budget, we have allocated almost £3 billion in this financial year to help families and households face the increased cost of living. This includes support for energy bills, childcare, health and travel, as well as social security payments not available anywhere else in the UK. We will continue to monitor the best ways we, along with our local government partners, can provide support.

“Westminster holds most of the powers needed to tackle the cost of living crisis as well as borrowing and resourcing powers we do not currently have. This includes energy, the minimum wage, National Insurance and 85% of social security spending.”

“Beginning in winter 2022-23 our new Low Income Winter Heating Assistance will guarantee an annual £50 payment to around 400,000 low-income households each winter, providing reliable financial support to those most in need.”