There's been cross-party support for plans for North Yorkshire Council to fund Citizen's Advice's Warm and Well scheme for the next three years.
The funding will cost £50,000 per year to cover the "Warm and Well" scheme, which provides advice on energy efficiency, fuel debt, and grants to vulnerable residents.
The service helps approximately 10,000 people annually, with this base funding helping secure further funding from organisations like the British Gas Energy Trust and Northern Powergrid.
Here's the proposer of the plan, Labour's Liz Colling:
" Citizens Advice had previously run a seasonal health contract for North Yorkshire for £50,000 a year, and the council chose not to fund this initiative. In our last budget in 2024, around 10,000 clients were helped across North Yorkshire and approximately 70 organisations' use of service. The £50,000 does not cover the full cost of running the service.
"But it serves as base funding through which Citizens Advice secures additional funds from sources like British Gas Energy Trust, and Northern Power Grid. In total, this allowed Citizens Advice to bring in around £650,000 a year for energy funding in North Yorkshire."
Councillor Steve Shaw-Wright supported that motion:
"CAB is probably one of the organisations that every member in this authority will have contact with, either directly, when they themselves have issues, sometimes with the same council that they're a member of, to deal with, but also members of the general public. I think it will be the best 50K per year this council's spent for a long time."
Conservative Michael Harrison also agrees with the motion:
" It's always quite fascinating when we look at the things that we really lean upon as a council through our voluntary sector and the likes of Citizens Advice that other councils around the country are cutting money because they feel like they just simply have to. When we are in a position where we we value what, what these organisations do and therefore seek to protect their funding. I mean, there is other monies that goes towards them, but there's no doubt that the warm and well initiative and the benefits that come from that are really valued. So I'm happy to support the amendment."
The motion was part of the council's 2026/27 to 2028/29 Medium Term Financial Strategy.
Liberal Democrat Dan Sladden also agreed with the plan:
"As Liberal Democrats, we place a high value on practical frontline advice that helps residents stay afloat. And citizen's advice remains one of the most trusted and effective organizations we work with across North Yorkshire. They support thousands of people every year with energy costs, debt, housing, and benefits.
"And they often step in before problems escalate into crisis. And for some residents, citizens' advice is the first and sometimes the only door they feel able to knock on. For me, this is about being warm, WARM, working with trusted partners, attracting external funding reaching the most vulnerable and maximising every pound we spend.
"So a modest council contribution helps underpin a much larger package of support, bringing in substantial extra resources, and sustaining a genuinely-county-wide service that many residents see as their safest port of call."
The amended motion was unanimously agreed.
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