Brent CAB's heating fund to continue

Jan 12 2012 By Jessica Thompson

A WINTER Warmth Fund will run in Brent again this year, aiming to reduce the number of people who die in the borough each year due to cold weather.

Generous Brent residents are being asked by Brent Citizens Advice Bureau to donate winter fuel payments to local people suffering as a result of fuel poverty.

The scheme is being run in conjunction with the Tricycle Theatre in the Kilburn High Road and with the support of actress Joanna Lumley.

This year, Brent pensioners aged over 80 will receive a winter fuel payment of £300, while those aged under 80 will receive £200.

The payments are not means-tested, so go to all pensioners irrespective of their wealth.

Brent CAB’s Winter Warmth Fund has been running since 2008 and helps vulnerable CAB clients by giving them a donation of up to £200 directly payable to their fuel supplier.

Over a period of three years the bureau in Brent has allocated a total of £7,300 to give to 38 families and individuals in need.

A spokesman for Brent CAB said: "The beneficiaries are people who are affected by fuel poverty, in particular those with a long-term illness, elderly people and families with young children. Brent CAB assesses the impact the money will have on their financial difficulties before choosing a client to donate to."

Fuel poverty is a term for when people spend 10 per cent or more of their income on heating, and it is a growing concern in Brent.

At the end of last year The Harrow Observer ran a special report on the issue.

Every year 50 people die in Brent because of the cold weather, according to Brent CAB. This is more than three times the national average.

Brent CAB director Jacqueline Carr said: “Obviously the more people who donate their winter fuel payments or other money, the more people we can donate to.

“With the extremely difficult economic and employment circumstances in Brent and the UK at the moment, even more vulnerable Brent families desperately need money to pay their heating bills and food costs.

“We are proud that every penny we receive is passed on to people who, through no fault of their own, find themselves in extremely difficult circumstances.”

A Brent student with a young child who received a Winter Warmth donation last year said, “The grant was extremely helpful as I live on a ground floor flat with my child and it is very very cold. Without the money I would not have been able to pay my heating bills”.

Anyone wanting to donate can send a cheque payable to “Brent Citizens’ Advice Bureau” to Winter Warmth Fund, Brent Citizens Advice Bureau, 270-272 High Road, Willesden, London, NW10 2EY. Alternatively they can contact Fernando Ruz on f.ruz@brentcab.co.uk or call 0208 438 1214.