Islington’s Labour-run Council is using a windfall payment from the publicly-owned waste plant in Edmonton to provide more support for local people to tackle the Tory cost of living crisis this winter.

The council will set up its own debt relief fund to support residents struggling with energy bill debt, which will start with £77,000 of funding over the next two years, as well as making an extra support payment of £100 to more than 1,100 of the borough’s most vulnerable low-income households already in crisis in December.

The roll-out of Islington’s Warm Community Spaces has provided local people with safe, warm places to go as the weather gets colder and energy bills keep rising. An additional £50,000 will be made available to support venues operating as Warm Community Spaces across the borough, to provide respite, a familiar face and a warm welcome.

The Council’s SHINE and IMAX teams already do such great work to help local people save money on their energy bills and to claim the benefits they are entitled to, services that have proved invaluable throughout this crisis. So, the Council is putting more money into those teams to make sure they can offer even more help to Islington residents.

£150,000 has been allocated to support small local businesses, such as nurseries, affordable workspaces, and community organisations, as well as grants for businesses with fewer than 25 employees. And the council is also investing extra money in an engagement campaign encouraging residents to recycle their food waste, helping to create a greener, cleaner, healthier Islington.

The package of support is funded from extra electricity earnings generated by the energy-from-waste facility at Edmonton EcoPark. As the facility is completely publicly-owned, the extra money is distributed between the local councils, rather than going to a private company. This means Islington Council can use its £567,000 share to help local people struggling to cope with the cost of living crisis.

Leader of Islington Council Cllr Kaya Comer-Schwartz said:

“The Tory cost of living crisis is already having a real impact on Islington residents, with rising cost of bills, food and everyday essentials. While the Tory Government delivers tax cuts for the wealthiest and looks to start Austerity 2.0, we are urgently doing everything we can to help our most vulnerable residents.

 

“This extra funding shows the benefit of having publicly-owned facilities such as the Edmonton EcoPark, and helps us to deliver direct support to some of our least well-off residents and local businesses.”