Blackpool Council Annual Health Report 2019 Blackpool Council Annual Health Report PAGES | Page 23

Last year’s Annual Report focused on the impacts of poor housing and transience within
the town on health and highlighted the Council’s Housing strategy that aims to deliver
new housing supply, improve the private rental sector and to stabilise lives to prevent and
resolve homelessness. This year the Public Health team has taken on responsibility for the
Warm Homes Fund and is delivering on two schemes for improving the energy efficiency
and heating in houses in Blackpool.
WARM HOMES FUND SCHEMES
The Warm Homes Health Fund aims to help vulnerable households
across Blackpool through two schemes to reduce fuel poverty.
Scheme 1 – The Energy Efficiency and Health Related Solution
• Conducting ‘Energy Audits’
• 
Enabling applications for a Warm Homes Discount to reduce
energy bills
Struggling with high energy bills can have an adverse impact on the mental health of
family members. Fuel poverty may even affect children's education – for example, if health
problems keep them off school, or if a cold home means there is no warm, separate room
to do their homework 12 .
• 
Ensuring eligible customers are placed on Electricity North West’s
Priority Services Register
• Referral to services for switching help and advice
• Referral for a replacement boiler
• Provision of temporary heating until the boiler can be installed
This scheme has already assisted 286 households in the opening
months up to November 2018.
Scheme 2 – (From early 2019) will be delivering first time central
heating systems to houses with no existing central heating. The team
is also in the process of developing an affordable warmth strategy for
Blackpool focusing on low cost solutions to reduce fuel poverty across
the town.
12. Pedro Guertler and Sarah Royston, Fact-File: Families and Fuel Poverty, Association for the Conservation of Energy
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