NEARLY a quarter of a million people in Scotland have turned to using free community spaces to keep warm as they struggle with high energy bills, a charity has warned.
Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) estimates more than 230,000 people have visited community centres, libraries and cafes in the past year in a bid to heat themselves up and save money.
The organisation is encouraging individuals struggling with the cost of living to seek help from its network.
The cost of living crisis saw some areas set up dedicated “warm banks” last year, which are similar to food banks but for people in fuel poverty.
CAS calculated the number of people turning to community spaces to keep warm this winter by analysing research carried out by YouGov as part of its Worried This Winter? campaign.
It found that 5% of adults in Scotland had used some kind of free local facilities to stay warm – such as libraries, community centres and cafes – in the 12 months to October 2023.
CAS energy spokesman Matthew Lee said: “These are shocking figures which show the scale of concern and the measures people have taken to try and stay warm in cold weather as energy bills have increased.
“People are struggling to keep warm in their own home and they don’t want to turn the heating on because of the costs, so they will find somewhere else to get a heat.
“People being forced to take these sorts of decisions should be completely unacceptable in 2024."
CAS estimates householders who sought energy-related advice from staff last year saved more than £400 on average, and those who sought general advice and benefitted from it received more than £3700.
Lee added: “We would encourage anyone worried about the cost of bills this winter to seek help from the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) network.
“That doesn’t have to mean going to a CAB: our online advice pages are used by millions of people a year and we have interactive self-help tools to help people see where they could boost their incomes or cut their costs.
“The CAB network gets incredible results for people. Last year, for those who saw a financial gain after seeking advice, the average received more than £3700.
“That can be absolutely life-changing money this winter. And remember our advice is always free, impartial and confidential. We don’t judge, we just help."
