Wharfedale News
Otley CAB to run heating bill advice sessions
7:00am Sunday 5th February 2012
A three-month drive to help residents who are struggling to heat their homes will begin in Otley next week.
The Citizens Advice Bureau, backed by funding from the Town Council, is starting a series of weekly heating and fuel advice sessions on Tuesday.
The initiative is designed to help some of the town’s most vulnerable people cut their bills and escape fuel poverty, and Otley Citizens Advice Bureau co-ordinator Ailsa Bearpark believes it will make a real difference.
She said: “This money is very welcome because we want to get to a situation where people aren’t forced to turn the heating off because of the cost. It will enable us to open our doors on another day of the week and to provide both practical assistance and, where it’s appropriate, point people in the right direction to find help.
“When the town council first contacted us we were very pleased to discuss the whole issue of fuel poverty, because a lot of people are bamboozled by the choices they have, and it can be overwhelming knowing what to do next. A lot of people also find it daunting to have to use the internet or phone. It’s much nicer to talk face to face, which is what we can do with these advice sessions.
“This is also allowing us to work in tandem with Leeds City Council which is offering all sorts of schemes to help people with insulation and energy efficiency, so it’s very timely.”
The project is being publicised through leaflets and posters.
The town council announced in its new budget that it would be setting aside £3,000 for the scheme, which will also cover running costs for early 2013.
Councillor Kevin Cooney (Lab, West Chevin) said: “We are very pleased to support these advice sessions for people who are struggling with their bills, because this is a very serious problem and a growing one that I fear will only worsen over the next few years.
“Latest figures show that at least 25 per cent of people are in fuel poverty now, spending more than ten per cent of their income on fuel.
“And a lot of people are scared, on all sorts of levels, and don’t know quite what to do about it, with some facing the horrendous choice of ‘heat or eat’.
“This is a way of helping.”
The advice will include checking the availability of grants for energy-saving measures like cavity wall and loft insulation, boiler upgrades, radiator reflectors and draught proofing.
The sessions will run at the Citizens Advice Bureau’s Otley base, on Courthouse Street, on Tuesdays until April 24, except for April 10.