Parish Action on Cost of living crisis

Kirkburton Parish Council has taken action to help address the cost-of-living crisis

 The debate on the cost-of-living crisis was initiated by Green Party Parish Councillor Robert Barraclough. 

 Robert said,

 “People think of the Kirkburton Parish as a ‘well off’ area but poverty can be hidden with some people getting by on low fixed incomes particularly pensioners.We also have community organisations that have been hit hard by the pandemic which limited their opportunity to raise funds and now they face the possibility of higher fees for room hire because of the massive hike in energy bills. To tackle these problems, we have made a donation of £1500 to The Welcome Centre who are the largest food bank in our area and asked them to engage with the many villages that make up the Kirkburton Parish. We have also encouraged community organisations that have been hit with big room hire costs to apply to the Parish Council for a grant to help deal with these extra costs.”

 Councillor Andrew Cooper who is also a Kirkburton Parish Councillor said,

 “We are also asking people managing Community Buildings to apply for funding to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings. Whether it is insulation or solar panels or improvements to lighting all these things can help reduce energy use in buildings. It is good for finances and the environment. Parish Councils don’t have huge budgets like Kirklees Council, but we do make good use of the funds we have even if it is in a small way.”

 Details of Kirkburton Parish Council grant schemes can be found on the Kirkburton Parish Council website  www.kbpc.co.uk