| Department for Work and Pensions : Universal Credit Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) Employment and Support Allowance Carers Allowance; State Pension; Pension Credit; Winter Fuel allowance; |
| DWP is responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance . Check to see if you are entitled to any of these benefits. More detail given below. |
| Universal Credit |
| You may get Universal Credit if you are on a low income, or need help with your living costs. You could be out of work, working including self employed or part time, or unable to work. Universal Credit has replaced, or will be replacing the following benefits: Child tax Credit; Housing Benefit; Income support; income-based jobseekers allaowance; income related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) ; Working Tax Credit. |
https://www.gov.uk
| Carers Allowance |
| You may qualify if you care for someone for at least 35 hours per week. You do not have to live with the person you are caring for. |
| www.gov.uk/carers-allowance |
| Pension Credit |
| Pension Credit tops up income if you are over state pension age and have a low income. If you have a partner or spouse it is worked out on the joint income. You may qualify if the income is £10,000 or less per year, then pension credit will top up the amount you get. If you receive pension credit you will also qualify for the Winter Fuel Allowance. |
| Free School Meals |
Your child may get free school meals if you get any of the following: Universal Credit Jobseekers Allowance; Employment and Support Allowance; Pension Credit You may also be entitled if you are still on any of the old benefits replaced by Universal Credit; see the website for more information |
| Somerset Community Foundation |
| Grants for both groups and individual people, and some loans. Provides short term , urgent financial help to Somerset Residents who cannot afford household essentials. There are usually 2 dates for applications per year, October and March. It may be able to help with fuel costs or food vouchers |
CAB Advice (Citizens Advice Bureau)
Advice on cost of living, help to sort out bills. Online appointments or face to face appointments in Taunton; or the Waffle Hub once a month, Wednesday morning
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk
Citizens Advice Somerset, St Mary’s House, Magdalene Street Taunton , Somerset, TA1 1SB
Call 0808 278 7842 or visit the web site:
Talking Cafes provide a place for you to pop into, for advice and support from your local Village Agent on anything that is worrying you
Debt advice from energy Companies
Generally the best advice is to contact the provider initially and see how they can help. Several of the providers have numerous ways to help. Some of the main energy companies are shown in the next box. Please check your own supplier if not listed here.
Financial advice on debt
StepChange Debt Charity
Call free on 0800 138 1111
www.stepchange.org
National Debtline
Call free on 0808 808 4000
www.nationaldebtline.com
Youth Legal -a Youth Debt and Money advice line for single people up to the age of 25, or a family with a child under 25
https://www.youthlegal.org.uk Tel 02031951906
Grace Advocacy-A Charity who offer advocacy services for people with multiple complex problems. They assist with Benefits; Disability; Housing; Healthcare(NHS); Adult Social Care; and Debt
https://www.graceadvocacy.org
Tel 01278 393340 for the Bridgwater team
How to save money on heating
mythbuster- challenging misconceptions
Reducing energy use
energy saving tips
MENCAP help with paying bills
Advice and support with energy and money (Easy Reads)
Campaign group
Works across England to eradicate fuel poverty and raise awareness
Community Renewable Energy Project
Burnham and Weston Energy CIC is a local community project to support the net zero transition and help local households struggling with fuel poverty. They can advise on retrofitting and ways to improve energy efficiency in your home. You may qualify for a free visit.
smart meters
contact your energy supplier
Switch to all LED lighting
Save 75% with LED lights, and they last 25% longer
£1 Billion Great British Insulation Scheme
£1 billion Great British Insulation Scheme to help some families insulate their homes lower council tax bands with less energy-efficient homes will be offered upgrades such as roof, loft or cavity wall insulation.
Customers can use an online checker for the Great British Insulation Scheme to determine eligibility. The tool will ask a series of questions – including how they heat their home, whether their home has solid or cavity walls, and if they are receiving any benefits.
A separate online checker has also been launched for the Home Upgrade Grant, to help off-the-gas-grid homes with an energy performance certificate rating of D to G. The grant provides energy efficiency upgrades and low-carbon heating to households in England. Customers using the online tools will then be referred to either their energy supplier for support from the Energy Company Obligation programme and Great British Insulation Scheme or their council for the Home Upgrade Grant.
Sign post sources of help / advice-paying bills
Water bills and reducing waste. Struggling to pay
Bristol Water
Sign post sources of help / advice – water
WESSEX Water advice.
Ideas for water saving
Saving water
Enable ride sharing
Ask your employer if they have a scheme or set one up
Concessionary Bus Passes
Community bus
Railcard
You are eligible if you have reached state pension age, or a younger but have a disability which would affect your driving.
An accessible bus service funded by Somerset County Council for people unable to access conventional transport
A railcard to help discount your train journey-there are variety of railcards for all ages. There are 9 different money saving railcards. Check in advance of travelling, you could save up to 1/3
Bicycles
Start riding a bike if you can, or sell your old one
Food banks
Referral required, please contact your case worker (if under social care), the village agents or Citizens advice bureau. Otherwise pop into the food bank, and ask one of the friendly staff how to get a referral.
The food bank covers Burnham, Highbridge, and immediate surrounding areas. Highbridge- Hope Baptist Church, Church Street, Thursday 9.30-12noon
Burnham-on-Sea-Burnham Methodist Church, Tues and Saturday 10am – 12 noon
Food sharing
The Food Pantry at the Morland Hub costs £3.50 per week for members
Talking Café’s
Talking Cafes provide a local place you can pop into, for advice from your Local Village Agent on anything that is worrying you, or if you just want a friendly chat. Monday-Friday
The Waffle Club Community Cafe
Burnham on sea Methodist church-community fridge
Friday Lunch Club Morland hall
11am-1.15pm. £5 per adult,
£3 per child for a 3 course meal, consisting of home made soup and bread, main course dish of the day, and a choice of 2 desserts.
Kitchen energy and money saving tips (BBC)
there are lots of energy saving links here from the BBC
BBC
Slow cooker meals, try batch cooking if you can
https://www.bbc.co.uk/budget_slow_cooker_recipes
Clothing Costs
Lots of pre- loved clothes at low prices
Recycling uniform
Clothing Bank – takes place at the Waffle hub. A community run group. A great way to recycle unwanted clothing
University of the Third Age.
Coffee morning at:
Highbridge -Wed 10am-12, Highbridge Community Hall
Burnham-on-Sea -Thurs 9.45am, Burnham Community Centre
Lots of activities throughout the week.
Share meals
eg – invite neighbors for lunch; Might also be energy efficient
Check on vulnerable neighbours
lend a fleecy blanket, make sure they have a hot meal, pop in for a cuppa
Repair Cafe
Takes place at the Waffle hub, Methodist Church , College Street Burnham on sea the first Wednesday of the month, and The Purple Spoon Café at the YMCA in Highbridge the third Saturday of the month, from 10am-1pm
The Waffle Hub
Burnham Methodist Church. Not just a place to get a drink and a waffle, but the Waffle Hub hosts many other organisations on a rota basis, including CAB, Clothing Bank, Repair Café, Knit and Natter group, and many others.
Action tutoring
Volunteer as a tutor with Action Tutoring and make a difference to the lives of disadvantaged young people living in your community.
Community food projects, sharing gardens
Some offer garden space/ others offer labour in return for agreed percentage of crop, offer your surplus for free to your community to save waste.
Community allotments
Can we get more. These are hard to come by, but maybe you know someone who could help.
Edible Streets
Edible Street. Streets come together to plant crops in pots, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, herbs etc and leave out front for neighbors
0% loan to help people living in off-gas properties spread the cost of heating their home
The current energy crisis is having an effect on everyone, coupled with the rising cost of living. Living without mains gas can be expensive. For those who are buying home heating fuel in bulk, a council-funded loan may be an alternative solution to spread the cost.
Somerset Council work in partnership with Lendology CIC, a Social Enterprise lender, to provide council funded 0% Bulk Buy Fuel loans to homeowners, social tenants, and private tenants to spread the cost over the winter months. Passionate about tackling fuel poverty, they provide finance to a wide range of people, including those who may not be able to use mainstream finance providers.
The loan can be used to purchase oil, gas, wood or other bulk-buy fuel sources and is repayable over six to twelve months. Lendology encourage residents to save alongside the loan where possible to create resilience in paying for the next bulk purchase and to use local bulk-buy schemes to save money.
Background information
With approximately one in six houses are off-gas across the UK, bulk buying home-heating fuel is a challenge that is faced by so many households. Renewable Energy Loans are available to support homeowners to de-carbonise their homes by moving to more sustainable heating solutions. However, this may not be a feasible option for everyone, and so bulk buying fuel is a requirement. Finding the funding upfront can be challenging, especially for people who have only just moved into an off-gas home and have been unable to prepare for the cost of this purchase.
For more information, visit www.lendology.org.uk or call Lendology on 01823 461099.
With the current cost of living crisis and the recommendation of electric blankets and certain electric heaters it would be good to promote safe use of these appliances as well as DS Fire and Rescue free home checks.
Home checks:
http://www.dsfire.gov.uk/safety/home/online-home-safety-check
Electric/gas heaters:
https://www.dsfire.gov.uk/safety/home/heaters
Electric blankets: