Warm spaces and additional support for West Suffolk residents this winter

12 Dec 2025

Community activities are being put on across more than 40 warm spaces this winter with West Suffolk Council providing additional support and advice to residents.

Village halls, churches and community centres are among the venues across West Suffolk that will be providing day-time venues where residents can meet, reducing isolation and loneliness as well as their daytime heating costs.

The council reached out in September to organisations that have hosted warm spaces in previous winters to see if they needed funding support to operate again this winter. That saw 33 organisations come forward for funding.

West Suffolk Council has backed each of the 33 warm spaces with a grant of £850 to support them in providing a warm space for residents in their local area this winter. They include village halls, churches and community centres that will be providing day-time venues where residents can meet, reducing isolation and loneliness as well as their daytime heating costs. The funding has been given using money allocated to West Suffolk Council by Government from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Details have been published for the 33 warm spaces and nine others on West Suffolk Council’s cost-of-living webpages. The webpage will be updated as other warm spaces operators contact families.communities@westsuffolk.gov.uk to be added to the list.

As well as supporting the running of many of the warm spaces, the council’s new Financial Inclusion Service will also be visiting each venue to speak to residents offering advice and support to help them maximise their income and save money on things such as heating bills. They will also direct people to grants such as Suffolk Community Foundation’s Surviving Winter Fund.

The Financial Inclusion Service is currently encouraging residents to check if they are eligible for Pension Credits – nationally £1.5billion of Pension Credits is estimated to have gone unclaimed in 2024, the Government has said.

But as well as people who are retired, the Financial Inclusion Service is also developing campaigns to support other households including people who are working, income maximisation for people who are looking for work and for families who may need support. Information will also be left at venues to highlight the support that is available.

Cllr Donna Higgins, Cabinet Member for Families and Communities at West Suffolk Council, said: “Our ambition is for a thriving West Suffolk for all of our residents. But we recognise that there are households both in West Suffolk and nationally who are simply surviving.

“That’s why we are working to support community organisations to provide a warm space where people can meet during the day, reduce some of their heating costs and get additional support from our Financial Inclusion Service to help them boost their income and save money.”

Residents can find out more about the Financial Inclusion Service (and other cost-of-living support) on the council's cost of living webpages and can get in contact by phoning 01284 757660 or emailing financial.inclusion@westsuffolk.gov.uk

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