Britons flee their cold homes to museums and libraries in search of warmth
British libraries and museums are preparing to serve as warm havens for people who cannot afford to heat their homes during the winter months.
It is expected that these buildings will be part of a network across the Kingdom, providing a warm shelter, to help reduce excess winter deaths associated with weather conditions.
There have been calls for urgent new funding, so that public buildings can handle the surge in visitors during the cooler months.
The call for support comes to ensure that major public buildings can keep their doors open, as organizations across the country face huge increases in energy bills.
One care home group told the Observer newspaper that annual energy bills were rising from £1.5m a year to £7.7m.
"Museums will be relied on to respond to this crisis, but many will struggle to heat their own spaces," said Alistair Brown, director of policy at the Federation of Museums, which represents the museum sector.
Last week, the Catalyst Science Discovery Center and Museum in Widnes, Cheshire, said its annual gas contract renewal bid had risen from £9,700 to £54,362.
"Central government should provide councils with additional funding this winter to meet rising energy costs, which will help ensure libraries remain open as vital warm havens for their communities," said Isobel Hunter, CEO of Libraries Connected, which represents the public library sector.
Paul Drome, of GLL, a social charity that operates bookstores in Greenwich, southeast London, said township libraries had already spent £28,000 on new seats and other furniture to prepare for an increase in visitors during the winter months.
He added, "We are fully aware of the huge impact that the energy crisis will have on many who live within the local community. We will promote our libraries as 'warm spaces' for those who cannot afford to heat their homes."
Earlier, South Cambridgeshire County Council issued a tender to provide "a series of warm hubs of community buildings" to support those at risk of cold.
Meanwhile, Care England, which represents 4,500 care services, said operators are facing increases of up to 500% in energy costs, with considerations of reducing the number of seniors they take from hospital wards or closing their nursing homes to survive. Alive.
"Care services will have to close across the country this winter unless the government takes immediate action," she added.
Prof Martin Green, chief executive of Care England, said some providers would not be able to survive and would even collapse. "There is no cap on energy costs for care homes, and nursing home residents do not get any discount from the government."
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