Funding approved to reduce cold deaths

Councillors have agreed to provide £150,000 to reduce winter deaths and help vulnerable people stay warm in cold weather.

Members of North Yorkshire Council voted to give £50,000 a year over the next three years to Citizens Advice to run its Warm and Well scheme.

The service helps people understand energy deals, offers some discounts and gives advice on fuel debt and saving energy.

Councillor Liz Colling, who proposed the funding, said it "supports the most vulnerable in our communities at low cost to this authority".

Colling said £50,000 would not fully fund the running of the service, but acted as a "base" which helped Citizens Advice secure further grants from companies such as British Gas and Northern Powergrid.

"In total, this allowed Citizens Advice to bring in around £650,000 a year for energy funding in North Yorkshire, employing 20 individuals and running a countywide telephone service," she added.

"I suggest it is an excellent investment of a modest amount of money to raise those benefits for our residents."

Seconding the motion, councillor Steve Shaw-Wright said it would be the "best £50,000 ... this council spent for a long time".