Portsmouth bags big £170K to help poor city families keep homes warm

The cash boost, provided by charity the Environment Centre, has been secured by Portsmouth City Council.

The money is part of a scheme to help people out of fuel poverty and is the latest in £7.4m of grants awarded to the council since 2018 to tackle the crisis.

About 12.1 per cent of Portsmouth households cannot afford to keep their homes warm, compared to the national average of 10.9 per cent

The new cash will allow the council to help 4,000 families to stay warm in their homes.

Councillor Darren Sanders, the city’s housing boss, said: ‘Too many people in our city are forced to choose between heating and eating. That is wrong, which is why it is great that the council is – yet again – tackling the problem.

‘Too often, people do not know where to turn or what to do when it comes to cutting fuel bills. This funding from the Environment Centre helps deal with this vital gap.’

The windfall will fund home visit services.

The grant comes after the council launched its 'energy and water at home strategy' consultation, which focuses heavily on fuel poverty mitigation.

For tips on how to cut energy bills, see switchedonportsmouth.co.uk