A mum has spoken about how her children's school is so cold they are taking hats and gloves to wear during lessons. This comes as schools struggle to pay their heating bills while also keeping buildings ventilated after the coronavirus pandemic.
Opposition councillors in Hillingdon, West London, attempted to secure community funding so schools can install renewable energy sources, like solar panels, to help reduce energy bills. By doing this as soon as possible, Labour councillors wanted to help schools lower energy bill costs while reducing the borough’s carbon footprint, My London has reported.
The energy crisis comes as schools continue to face colder classrooms thanks to the need to ventilate following the coronavirus pandemic. Most schools have no choice but to keep windows open in order to reduce the spread of illness.
On Thursday, November 17, Labour Councillor Sital Punja said: “Only last week my children brought out thick scarves and gloves, not for their journey but for whilst they were sitting in their lessons. I asked why they needed gloves and scarves in their lessons, I was told ‘mum it’s freezing, it gets so cold I cannot write or concentrate’.
“Having reached out to residents with my story I am hearing similar from other parents. It is truly heartbreaking that any child has to keep themselves warm to learn.
“Children have no choice, they have to go to school and therefore it must be our responsibility to use our means to make sure they are provided with a warm environment. We are only at the start of the winter season and we have an opportunity to help our schools with energy costs by supporting them by rapidly installing renewable energies and helping them on the financial drain of keeping their buildings warm.”
Households are protected from rising energy costs thanks to the Energy Price Guarantee, this measure from the government caps household bills at £3,000 per year until at least April 2023. However, schools are not given the same protection.
In September the government did announce a six-month scheme available to schools that will provide discounted energy until March 2023. However, Labour councillor Scott Farley claims that whatever schools save is being eaten up by rising costs elsewhere in the budget.
He said: “The government claims that schools across our country are receiving additional funding but this has been outstripped by increasing energy costs, staff costs, meals and transport costs and fundamental things a packet of paper, exercise books, pens and pencils.”
“Increases in costs must come from existing budgets so to provide for energy bills they have to make cuts in other services and provisions. We’ve seen schools in the borough declare deficits and we do not wish to see more.”
Hillingdon Council’s deputy leader, Councillor Jonathan Bianco, said that the council does not have ‘a lot spare’ from the Community Infrastructure Levy fund and made an amendment to ensure that all groups, from residents to schools, know how to apply for relevant grants and schemes for renewable energy sources. This is instead of allocating specific community funding for schools to have renewable energy sources.
Councillor Bianco said: “We are putting all our residents first, what exactly is it that the other side would like us to cut? Everybody is suffering at the moment from the cost of living crisis, not just schools, and this council believes it can do more good on projects that will benefit all our residents not just a narrow band. I appreciate that schools are having a tough time but then so is everybody else.”
Councillor Edward Lavery, the cabinet member for residents’ services, said: “The council already has a climate change action plan and pledges to reach carbon neutrality. To achieve this we will need to make our existing buildings, including housing stock, schools and community buildings more energy efficient by a variety of means.
“Moving forward the council needs to ensure that all groups, including schools, know where the relevant grants are and apply for them and know how to be successful.”
The council approved the amendment, to ask the Cabinet to consider a position where the whole community, not just schools, is aware of grants, schemes and programmes already in existence for renewable energy sources.
