Libraries and museums to be ‘warm havens’ for people struggling with energy bills

theguardian.com:

Britain’s libraries and museums are preparing to act as warm havens for people unable to afford to heat their homes in the winter months.

Ministers are being called on to provide urgent new funding so public buildings can cope with a surge in visitors during the coldest months.

The buildings will be part of a network across the country which will provide warm shelter to help reduce excess winter deaths linked to freezing conditions.

The call for support to ensure key public buildings can keep their doors open comes as organisations across the country are being confronted with vast increases in energy bills. One care homes group told the Observer that its annual energy bills are rising from £1.5m a year to £7.7m.

Alistair Brown, policy manager at the Museums Association, representing the museum sector, said: “Museums will be relied upon to respond to this crisis, but many will be struggling to heat their own spaces.

“People are beginning to understand the scale of the crisis and we don’t want to reduce the hours that museums are open.”

Catalyst Science Discovery Centre and Museum in Widnes, Cheshire, said last week that the quote for renewing its annual gas contract had risen from £9,700 to £54,362.

Isobel Hunter, chief executive of Libraries Connected, which represents the public library sector, said: “Central government should provide councils with additional funding this winter to meet rising energy costs, which would help ensure libraries stay open as vital warm refuges for their communities.”

Paul Drumm, of GLL, a charitable social enterprise that operates libraries in Greenwich in south-east London, said the borough’s libraries had already spent £28,000 on new seats and other furniture to prepare for the increase in