THE council is developing plans for 'warm spaces' at public buildings for residents to keep warm over the winter.

It also plans to continue funding the 'everyone in' support scheme to provide accommodation for rough sleepers.

The new measures come as the leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council said the authority would do 'all it can' to help residents through the cost of living crisis, but said more details were needed on the level of government support for those who need it.

Soaring energy prices and rising inflation have left many people fearing the worst for the winter ahead, with new Prime Minister Liz Truss recently announcing a package of measures which which include freezing energy bills at £2,500 a year for the next two years.

Cllr Louise Gittins, Labour's leader of Cheshire West and Chester Council, said: "The council is working on a warm spaces programme which will provide welcoming warm spaces in communities across the borough, using public and community-managed buildings.

"The council is developing a map to show the available support and will share further details as soon as possible."

A number of councils are rolling out warm spaces, also known as warm hubs or warm banks, in the face of rocketing energy costs. They can include buildings such as libraries and community centres where people can spend the day free of charge and keep warm.

Cllr Gittins said Cheshire West and Chester would be coordinating its approach with other organisations, such as Cheshire West Voluntary Action, the wider community sector, and the NHS, but accused the government of 'falling short' in its support.

She said the authority would also continue to fund the 'everyone in' programme to provide accommodation to people who are sleeping rough. The scheme had been rolled out by the government during the first Covid lockdown but a lack of funding meant many councils have since had to discontinue it.

Cllr Gittins added: "The recently announced national support with energy bills is critical and we await further details from the Government."

"This is clearly a worrying time for many of our communities, but we are here as a council to help as much as we possibly can - and will do so to the best of our collective ability over the coming weeks and months."

The government said that in addition to its energy price cap, it was providing £150 to six million people in receipt of disability benefits, and that this was on top of a wider £37 billion support package, including its energy price guarantee and cost of living payments totalling £650.