A council leader has hinted at the possible expansion of a warm spaces scheme in the Vale of Glamorgan after sharing a heartbreaking story highlighting its importance in the county.
The Vale of Glamorgan Council launched the scheme in November to help people who are struggling with rising energy costs. Venues which are signed up to the scheme, including churches, community centres, schools, and libraries, offer a place for people to keep warm, have some company, and access other support.
However many of the venues only have their warm hubs open on specific days and during specific hours. The leader of the Vale Council, Cllr Lis Burnett, said: "As much as I wish that this wasn't necessary this is a network of community spaces that offers a warm and inviting place to come together this winter at no cost."
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Cllr Burnett said the importance of the hubs was "brought home to her" recently when she came across a 91-year-old woman who had gone shopping in Barry to stay warm because she had been "locked out of her house". Cllr Burnett, who said she met the "disorientated" woman on a bus at about 6.30pm, added: "Council officers are continuing to work with community groups and others to identify support and promote further opportunities for a warm welcome this winter."
Cllr Carroll said: "As the leader said this is an important scheme. Of the 26 places currently listed on the council's website several of them are currently only available for a few hours each week. What action is being taken to try and increase these hours and make those spaces available for longer periods?" Cllr Burnett responded: "It started off as 20 and it is now 26. We continue to talk.
"We continue to talk to anybody who is able to work with us and we will also be developing our own services. We started planning this before we actually had the terms and conditions of the grant from the Welsh Government and, as I said, our staff stepped up immediately. So this is just the start and there will be more details coming through and, as I said, there will be a report to cabinet in the next few weeks with a lot more information."
She was speaking after Conservative group leader at the Vale of Glamorgan Council, Cllr George Carroll, asked at a council meeting this week whether the authority would be looking to increase the availability of Warm Welcome hubs.
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