Council to provide ‘emergency warm spaces’ in Milton Keynes as energy prices soar amid cost of living crisis

The Progressive Alliance plan could see public buildings, such as libraries, host people who need a warm space, with the council working with other partners to free up buildings.

The council will also be putting forward other measures to protect the most vulnerable from early September, with more announcements likely over the autumn.

The announcement comes after the energy price cap was increased on Thursday with average household energy bills predicted to increase to over £3,600, and rise to more than £5,000 in January.

It’s predicted the current increases will see around half of households pushed into fuel poverty and that could rise to two thirds by the new year.

While household energy bills spiral, the council is also facing massive rises in energy costs for heating public buildings and powering street lighting. Despite this, the council leadership has pledged to work to create a network of emergency warm spaces to ensure people have somewhere warm to go over winter if they cannot afford to heat their home.

Cllr Peter Marland, Leader of MK Council, said: “The lack of a clear plan from the Government on how to deal with the issue means the council must prepare for winter and have an emergency plan in place to keep people warm.”

Cllr Jane Carr, Cabinet Member for the Cost of Living Crisis, added: “MK Council resources are stretched but our first step will be to ensure those in the most need have somewhere warm to go. So, we will be looking at what we can do to ensure the buildings we are heating anyway can be used to provide warm spaces for people who need it. We will also be reaching out to partners to see if we can build a network of these warm spaces.”

Cllr Marland concluded: “It is truly shocking that after months of warnings on energy bills, we have a zombie Government and two potential Prime Ministers with no plan on how to deal with this crisis. We are one of the richest counties in the world and we are talking about having to open public buildings to stop people freezing to death.