Bromley veto £400K ‘warm banks’ fund, instead suggesting residents go to libraries

By Joe Coughlan, Local Democracy Reporter

A town hall has vetoed an idea to give heating money to community groups and said cold residents can go to libraries instead.

A motion was raised to create a £400,000 fund to support charities operating “warm banks” in the borough at a Bromley council meeting on Monday.

If approved, 100 warm centres could have applied for heating bill grants of up to £2,500 each under the plans.

Speaking to move the motion, Councillor Simon Jeal said: “This council has an opportunity, arguably an imperative, to act and support these charities that have given so much support to our residents, and in many cases supported housing officers who have turned to them to support those in need.”

It was said at the meeting that the fund would equate to about four or five warm banks being set up in each ward.

In response, Cllr Colin Smith, leader of Bromley council, said five centres per ward would be a “waste of electricity” and “waste of gas” and one to two hubs would be more preferable.

It was suggested that residents could keep warm in libraries which are within a mile and a half of 95 per cent of residents.

Cllr Smith said: “The council’s 15-strong fleet of libraries will be acting as warm places over the course of the winter,” before adding that they would be a “good place to start”.

However, Cllr Jeal said that the number of libraries in the borough does not equate to one per ward, and that they are not used to providing such support.

Currently, each library across the borough has different opening times, with Hayes Library only opening three days a week and Biggin Hill Memorial Library opening every day.

Cllr Smith said: “Opening 100 warm centres, effectively for £2,500 each, without knowing how many people they are going to attract, who will go there, whether some of the people attending can afford, isn’t a good use and isn’t a well-targeted means of going about what I think we all agree is a very, very important job for our various homes this winter.”

The motion also included improving council communication on how people can seek help from local food banks and support them.

Cllr Jeal said the charities had been hit with a “triple whammy”, with the cost of living crisis forcing people to choose between heating and food and reducing donations, as well as rising energy costs for the charities themselves.

The opposition leader said Bromley Foodbank had seen their demand double, alongside donations dropping by 40 per cent.

Pictured top: Bromley Civic Centre (Picture: Google Street View)