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Florence asks residents to pay utility bills of struggling pensioners

(The Guardian, 14 Feb 2022) Social impact of Italy’s 50% energy price rise is evident in city where 27.6% of the population is over 65.

Florence residents are being asked to pay the utility bills of elderly people living alone and struggling to make ends meet as the city’s leaders seek to shield the most vulnerable from soaring energy costs.

The “adopt a bill” initiative begins in the next few days and comes as the social implications of a more than 50% hike in gas and electricity bills in Italythis winter start to manifest.

“The social impact is very strong as we’re facing huge increases in bills,” Dario Nardella, the mayor of Florence, told the Guardian. “We’ve received many calls and letters from people who are in great difficulty.”

About 27.6% of Florence’s population is over the age of 65, a number that has increased in recent years, with between 30,000 and 33,000 of pensioners living alone.

“And many are living below the poverty line, trying to survive off €9,000 (£7,500) a year,” added Nardella. “We have a list of all the people who are enrolled with the social services, and we can’t succeed in helping them all, as much as we will try to, as the council has also been hit by the high energy costs.”

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The Guardian, 14 Feb 2022: Florence asks residents to pay utility bills of struggling pensioners