An update on current Cost of Living Crisis Information:

Warm Spots

The Warm Spots map and website went live at the start of last week.

We're now getting close to 200 Warm Spots registered.

New Warm Spots can still register via SurveyMonkey:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/warmspots

The interactive map is here:

https://cumbria.gov.uk/warmspots

Funding via Cumbria Community Foundation is here:

https://www.cumbriafoundation.org/fund/warm-spots-fund/

And perhaps most importantly, the webpage that brings all of that information together in one place is here:

https://cumbria.gov.uk/costofliving/stayingwarm.asp -You can also download the Warm Spots Toolkit from this link.

Any changes to Warm Spot opening times (or any other details that need tweaking) should be emailed toPublic.HealthEnquiries@cumbria.gov.uk

Transport to Warm Spots

We know some Warm Spots, particularly in rural areas, are thinking about how they can get people from their homes to Warm Spots, particularly as the winter weather closes in.

This might well happen informally in some areas, but if a community's thinking of setting up a more formal community transport approach, this fact sheet from ACTion with Communities in Cumbria might be useful:

https://www.cumbriaaction.org.uk/resources/guidance-sheets/dt026-act-gs-community-transport.pdf

It'll help groups to track down what options might already be available (such as the Cumbria County Council Voluntary Car Schemes:

https://www.cumbria.gov.uk/roads-transport/public-transport-road-safety/transport/commtrans/voluntarycars.asp )

and think about the options for filling any gaps.

Financial Support Schemes

Attached is the information from Simon Blyth at South Lakeland District Council around some of the financial support available.

Discounted "off peak" energy schemes that have been advertised in the press:

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2022/10/octopus-ovo-energy-pay-to-cut-electricity-use/

Unfortunately, it looks as though only Octopus' scheme is live so far, and all the schemes are only likely to be available to those on Smart Meters - so they may not be very accessible to those most in need of the support.

Forward Planning

There are some household and community emergency planning resources on ACT's website - scroll down towards the bottom of this page to find the resources:

https://www.cumbriaaction.org.uk/what-we-do/community-emergency-planning

And there's general information on all the Winter Ready messages (weather, health and finances) on the Cumbria County Council website:

https://www.cumbria.gov.uk/winterready/