Manchester council is set to open public libraries as 'warm banks' this winter as the city faces a grim combination of falling temperatures and rising energy bills.
Town hall chiefs are working on other plans to support struggling families as it gets colder, but the MEN understands the specifics of these policies will depend on what new Prime Minister Liz Truss announces in her bid to tackle the skyrocketing cost of electricity and gas. In the meantime, libraries will serve as free, heated spaces for people to keep warm as the temperature drops over the next few months.
Wigan and Tameside councils have already confirmed plans to use their own public buildings as 'heat banks', with other local authorities in Greater Manchester spending millions to support those struggling to pay their bills.
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City leaders are also urging the new Prime Minister to take action now. Ms Truss is thought to be drawing up plans for a freeze in bills which could cost around £100 billion but the specifics of this strategy are yet to be made public.
That does not mean the Council is not putting its own support in place, though, leader Bev Craig told the Manchester Evening News . She explained: "The current national cost of living crisis needs urgent Government help [for] residents and businesses through winter. Manchester City Council is working hard to ensure we support our residents most adversely affected by the cost of living crisis this winter as best we can, and will shortly be announcing a range of measures to help people in our city with the limited resources we have.
"We are standing up our emergency response over the winter coordinated through our community hub. Also, one of many initiatives will include our Libraries promoting themselves as a 'neighbourhood living room' where people of all ages can access free internet, wi-fi, books and information and where no one will question why you are there.
"As Leader I will continue to urge the Government to act to make sure that fair support is given to Manchester this winter."
Another landmark move comes from the private sector. The Great Northern Warehouse, on Deansgate and Peter Street, is also inviting community groups to use its free-to-hire ‘Village Hall’ as a warm bank.
May Molteno, who heads up owner Trilogy's sustainability and stakeholder engagement team, explained why they were taking the action: “As we look at the ridiculous energy prices this winter, we are offering it as a warm space. We already have two spaces open that are drop-in and free to use. They’re safe and easy to use now.
“One is the Book Nook, it’s a really comfortable library where people take and leave books. Right next door to it is our free to use parent and child play pod, Little Northern. That’s stocked with toys, it’s free to use and on Tuesdays there are story sessions. That’s a really brilliant place to warm up and there’s great resources there for families.”
May is appealing to community groups, residents’ groups and self-help groups to book out the Village Hall for events like ‘bring and share food events, or an after school club, or a warm revision space’ this winter to help Mancunians through. However, for May, it’s not enough.
She wants to see other private sector developments opening their doors to allow people to stay warm free-of-charge: “Community infrastructure has been eroded in my lifetime. Libraries have closed and community centres suffer from poor maintenance.
"I think there’s been a steady erosion in Britain generally, and I imagine that that was felt more acutely in the North of England as people tend to be poorer. In wealthier areas, you can buy access. If you have not got that available, it will feel like those doors are closed.”
Speaking to M.E.N about the warm banks being rolled out in Manchester, Labour MP for Blackley and Broughton, Graham Stringer said: "We're all having to be imaginative as we can, so that the most vulnerable people don't literally freeze to death."
During her first speech as Prime Minster this afternoon (September 6) Liz Truss vowed to take a 'hands on' approach to dealing with the energy crisis and said that she would 'take action this week'. Mr Stringer, who was previously leader of Manchester City Council from 1984 to 1996, was left unimpressed after she stated that the energy crisis was "caused by Putin's war".
"We've got a new Prime Minister today who is pretending that people not being able to pay for their fuel bills is being caused entirely by the Russian attack on Ukraine. It isn't," he added.
"The Government have left this country completely unprepared for another crisis because they've wasted money and they've not secured our energy supply at a reasonable cost."
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