‘You see the lack of compassion’: anger at Tories in fuel-poor Wolverhampton
“Never in my career did I expect to be creating warm banks,” said Ian Brookfield, the Labour leader of Wolverhampton council. “I’m embarrassed that in this country we’re having to do this.”
Just 15 miles from where the Conservative party has gathered for its annual conference, people in Wolverhampton are facing the highest rates of fuel poverty of any local authority in England. Compared with a national average of 13%, Wolverhampton has a fuel poverty rate of 22.4%.
To prepare for winter, the council has created 38 “warm spaces” in council buildings and community centres across the city. From 24 October they will be open to the public for people to warm up, charge their phone and have a hot drink.
“I’m not going to be happy that we’re opening these,” said Brookfield. “But we’re doing it because there is a very realistic chance we will lose people, not from accidents or illness but because they can’t afford to heat or eat.”
Brookfield said that seeing images from the Tory conference, so close to where people are struggling to heat their homes, was particularly infuriating.
“The very first comments we heard from conference was ‘Birmingham is a dump’,” he said. “You look at that, and what they’re trying to do to benefits, and of course everyone is welcome to come to the West Midlands, but it does stick in the back of the throat when you see the lack of compassion.”
While Liz Truss was busy in Birmingham trying to unite the party behind her economic policies, there was fear and anger on the streets of Wolverhampton over rising living costs.
Beverley Buckley, 53, said she was already wrapping up in blankets to keep heating costs low, as her energy bills are set to double from October.
“I’ve had to leave work recently because of ill
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