Lincolnshire’s first cost of living emergency could be declared to stop people from going cold or hungry this winter.
Councillor Amanda Wheeler has warned that soaring bills and rising food bank usage require urgent action.
She wants South Kesteven District Council to organise an emergency summit and to call for the cancellation of the energy price cap increase.
If approved, it is understood that this would be the first Lincolnshire council to declare an emergency over the crisis.
“After an increase of 50% in April this year, Ofgem have again increased the energy price cap, this time by 80%, taking a typical household energy bill to £3,549 a year,” Councillor Wheeler’s motion says.
“As well as soaring energy bills, food prices are growing rapidly and the Bank of England has warned that inflation, currently at 11%, is likely to hit 13%, increasing the risk of recession.
An emergency summit would be called under the plans | Photo: Adobe Stock
“In 2021/22 Grantham’s food bank alone provided 42,723 meals. Demand on all the food banks in our district – Bourne, Stamford and the Deepings – continues to grow.”
Councillor Wheeler, an Independent-aligned Liberal Democrat representing Stamford, wants an emergency summit to bring food banks, Citizens Advice, town and parish councils together in order to discuss how residents can be supported.
The motion also calls for improved communication around Housing Benefit and Council Tax support schemes to ensure that people on low income get all the help they’re entitled to.
The call will be put before the full South Kesteven District Council next week.
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Carole Glover’s transformation into a Brahma Kumaris over 25 years ago marked a pivotal turn in her life, providing clarity on her previous life experiences.
The spiritual movement was founded in the 1930s by Dada Lekhraj Kripalani, a visionary Indian businessman, also known by the name of Prajapita Brahma Baba. He then passed it over to a trust administered by a group of women who have run it ever since. After experiencing a series of visions in 1936, he was inspired to create a school where the “principles and practices of a virtuous and meditative life could be taught.”
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