Carmarthenshire County Council has been named the only local authority winner at the Welsh Housing Awards, and the only winner to take home not one, but two awards.
The authority’s community engagement team, part of the Housing department, scooped awards in two categories – New Idea of the Year for its innovative fuel clubs, and Empowering Communities for the partnership work it does to reward volunteers with Time Credits.
The team has been supporting tenants in rural communities to set up fuel clubs since 2014, as part of its Carmarthenshire Homes Standard programme – in particular to support people in fuel poverty or struggling to meet energy bills.
There are now 14 clubs across Carmarthenshire, run by volunteers, where tenants place bulk oil orders and take advantage of group savings.
Elsewhere, the authority has contracted independent Time Banking organisation Spice to work with tenants to reward them for volunteering and giving time to benefit their neighbours and communities.
Every tenant and any resident living in a Communities First area is eligible, and for every one hour of volunteering they undertake, they earn one Time Credit which can then be saved and spent on a range of activities, including access to leisure centres, theatre performances, as well as local and national attractions.
Cllr Linda Evans, Executive Board Member for Housing, was present at the ceremony at the Vale Hotel.
She said: “It was an honour to be there and a pleasure to hear the compliments and praise given to both projects, especially the Time Credits where it was announced that all judges were impressed.”
- Would you like to join, or run, a fuel club in your community? If you use oil for your heating, you could be saving money by buying in bulk along with your neighbours. Would you like to know more about earning Time Credits for volunteering in your community? Earn one Time Credit for every one hour of your time. Email communityengagement@carmarthenshire.gov.uk or call 01554 899290 for further information.
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