“It’s deflating and frustrating because it feels like we’ve come out of that pandemic and into a humanitarian one. “All we can do is apply for every piece of funding we might be eligible for, but that’s not a solution – it’s just sticking plasters on the problem, and plasters fall off. “During the pandemic we were able to access plenty of funding but much less is available now,” she says. Although unable to provide exact figures, Kirsty confirms that demand for these services has spiked in recent months and that the organisation lacks the capacity to bring in staff specifically focused on energy. HOT JOE CABLE FREEHeart of BS13 runs a number of food services, including a community freezer that allows families to pick up free meals that are prepared by their staff and cooking workshops that educate participants in the use of more energy efficient cooking methods that make ingredients go further. “It takes a lot to come forward, especially if you’ve never needed to use a service before, and we’re trying to put out the message that it’s just about taking the pressure off and that it’s something we’re all going through,” she explains.īS13 is among the most deprived areas of the city, with one in eight households regularly experiencing some form of food insecurity. Is Bristol prepared for even more intense heatwaves? She’s noticed that even though everyone is talking about the issue as it cuts across class divides, people are still hesitant to ask for support. HOT JOE CABLE FOR FREE“This area has a high percentage of people in low-paid jobs, who don’t qualify for free school meals or other support but still don’t have much,” says Kirsty Hammond, climate action lead at Heart of BS13, a community group focused on social enterprise, wellbeing, fuel and food poverty in the wider Hartcliffe area. Despite also receiving an automatic £400 energy rebate, this increase threatens to plunge millions of people into fuel poverty – including in Bristol, where concern about how some communities will cope is growing. This means that by the coming winter UK households will have seen a nearly 100% increase in their energy bills within the space of a year. While recently announced government schemes have brought this down from the originally proposed cap of £3,549, it still represents an increase of just under 27% on the April cap of £1,971, which was itself a 54% increase on the previous cap. But realistically all of this is only going to save maybe £100 – if you’re a family, that’s not going to keep you out of food and fuel poverty.”įrom tomorrow (1 October), the typical household energy bill will be capped at around £2,500 – with scope to pay more depending on energy use. We’re also trying to grow more and eating cold food like salads. HOT JOE CABLE FULL“We’re only putting on full washes, never leaving things on standby, trying not to put the heating on and having it at lower temperatures. “We’ve cut our energy use by half but our bills are still the same as they were last year,” says Tim, a retired painter and decorator and Easton resident.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |