A PARTNERSHIP, led by Cornwall Council’s public health service and including the Council of Isles of Scilly, Community Energy Plus as well as Cornwall Housing, Devon and Cornwall Housing Group, Coastline Housing, Guinness Trust, Inclusion Cornwall and SSE, has welcomed the news that it has successfully bid for the £1.3-million from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) Central Heating Fund.

The £1.3-million will be added to the £1-million already pledged by the partnership to install or upgrade central heating in hundreds of homes in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. Cornwall and Isles of Scilly are in the top three for homes without central heating and both are above the England average for fuel poverty. This funding will help those most in need, including those without access to mains gas and properties which are in isolated, rural locations or those homes that are on the edge of a town.

The partnership will be concentrating on installing central heating systems in the 376 households which have been identified as part of the work carried out by the successful Winter Wellness project as being fuel poor and which do not, or are unable, to use mains gas as their main source of heating.

Jeremy Rowe, chair of Cornwall Council’s Health and Wellbeing board, said: ‘It is great to see that Cornwall Council and its partners, who have been working over the past four winters to help reduce the risks to vulnerable people of a cold home, have been successful in bidding for funding to specifically help provide central heating. This additional funding will help the existing partnership support the installation of central heating systems in fuel poor households who do not or are unable to use mains gas.’