A £15 million energy fund to help heat schools, care homes, leisure centres, warm hubs and other council buildings is planned in Swansea. The fund is one of many proposals outlined by council leaders in their draft budget for 2023-24.
Rampant energy inflation is likely to push the authority's energy bill from £5 million to £20 million, placing huge demands on schools and operators of other council-owned buildings without extra financial support. The £15 million energy fund would be split up, with schools allocated £6.5 million, council departments £6.5 million, and leisure centres, care homes and warm hubs £2 million.
Meanwhile schools as a whole are likely to get a 5.6% increase in funding next year - worth £10 million - although this figure assumes that they make savings of £3 million. Social services will get more money, although no figure were given in the cabinet report, while the place department - which covers waste, roads and the environment - would get more if it weren't for the removal of an undisclosed one-off sum of money.
