Warming to the idea of heat exchanges: Residents donate winter fuel rebates to neighbours in need

Flyer promoting Hackney Wick and Victoria heat exchange, free for use by partners of BBC news wire service

Residents are donating thousands of pounds to help their neighbours weather the winter fuel price hike.

Heat exchange schemes have been set up across Hackney so that people who feel they do not need fuel payments from the government can donate them to neighbours who need help.

The schemes have generated more than £5,000 in donations already across two schemes alone, in De Beauvoir and Victoria and Hackney Wick wards.

It is thought that the De Beauvoir heat exchange is the first in Hackney, and others have followed suit to help get money where it is most needed. So far it has raised more than £3,000 through people power.

As part of the national response to the hike in fuel costs, every household is getting a £400 fuel rebate, with over 66-year-olds also due a winter fuel payment of up to £600, regardless of their income.

It means some people could get £1,000 in government help but cannot return it if they do not need the money.

Stephen Grosz, who helped set up the De Beauvoir Heat Exchange which will be run by the Fuel Bank Foundation, said: “The aim is to encourage people to use their winter fuel rebate and add Gift Aid to donate it for people in need. We thought we would do it locally to help neighbours in need.”

The De Beauvoir Association will provide vouchers for residents with prepayment meters for their energy.

Cllr Penny Wrout  and her colleagues in Hackney Wick and Victoria wards were inspired by the De Beauvoir scheme and have helped to get a similar scheme off the ground.

Inspired: Penny Wrout in the Hackney Council chamber

Cllr Wrout said: “We were really lucky that over the Christmas period Andrew Wilson, the rector at St John of Jerusalem, chose to publicise the Victoria and Wick Heat Exchange as one of the two good causes for the festivities. The other cause was the Red Cross appeal for Ukraine, so there was a sense of reaching out on a local and international scale.

“I was invited to address the congregation at the carol service about the scheme, and I believe that will have given us a tremendous boost, both to get the word out about fundraising, but also to make people aware of the fact that we will be distributing vouchers in January and February.”

She said people had donated £2,000 before the Christmas service and hoped the figure will have been boosted since then.

Other areas looking at setting up local schemes include Clissold and Stoke Newington, Dalston and Hackney Downs wards and Cllr Wrout has been talking to ward councillors about their plans.

The government is also giving £900 cost-of-living payments to eight million people on benefits or low incomes. It will be paid in three instalments, with the first due this spring, another in the autumn and the final payment in 2024.

You can donate to the De Beauvoir scheme here and to the  Hackney Wick and Victoria scheme here.

Hackney council has compiled details of help available for those hit by the cost of living crisis.

Booklets are also available from council buildings