Councils in England are offering ‘cool spaces’ if your house is too hot – how to find your nearest one

Local councils across England are offering ‘welcoming spaces’ or ‘cool spaces’ to help you stay cool in this heatwave.

Even when you’ve invested in the best portable air conditioners and best fans, with temperatures expected to rise close to 40 degrees in some parts of the UK, it is expected that our homes are going to feel too hot.

And if you’re struggling to cool your home, many councils across the country are offering cool spaces, where you have access to air conditioning and fresh water. If you’re struggling to keep cool, here’s how a welcoming space may help.

What are ‘cool spaces’?

Even though I’ve tested out plenty of cooling hacks, and my fan is pretty much constantly running, my third-floor flat is not equipped to deal with extreme heat. It retains heat incredibly well, which I’m always grateful for in winter, but during a heatwave it feels like a furnace.

I’m lucky that my local pub seems to have super-charged air conditioning, so when it gets too much, I can escape there for an ice-cold Diet Coke. However, it was looking at my local council website (Bristol City) that I saw they offered third spaces to help keep cool – and it meant I would be saving a small fortune in soft drinks!

Cool spaces that are free to use are often set up in parks, libraries and community hubs during a heatwave. They frequently offer quiet, air-conditioned spaces where you can relax and cool off, if cool spaces are not available to you. They are also places where you can access a toilet or drinking water.

Cool spaces operate at your council’s discretion. The Mayor of London has issued a Stay Cool map for Londoners to access their cool spaces. Bath and North East Somerset Council (BANES) have an online directory of cool spaces, as does Rochdale Council and Leeds Council.

If you’re interested in accessing a cool or welcoming space for yourself or someone you know, it is best to check your local council’s website for more information. Alternatively, you can also speak to your local library or community hub directly to see what services they offer during a heatwave.

Alternatively, here are a few more affordable home buys that can help cool you down.

It is important to note that these cool spaces are not medical care alternatives if you or someone you know is overheating. They’re also not spaces designed to support vulnerable people during heat. What they do offer is a place of respite during extreme heat.