Category Financial support Show all
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Household Support Fund
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Many residents are facing financial challenges due to the continued rise in the cost of living. If you’re finding it difficult to make ends meet, then it’s worth checking whether you’re eligible to support from the Government’s Household Support Fund.
It’s also important to note that any payment you receive from the Fund does not impact on any benefits you may be claiming.The Household Support Fund is available to help a wide range of low-income households including families with children, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers and disabled people, with food, energy, water and other essential household costs.
The current round of funding is for the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. You can apply once in any six-month period.
More information on whether you’re eligible, and how to apply, can be found on the Council’s website, using the link below.
Household Support Fund
If you have friends or family who may be eligible but don’t have home internet access, then please ask them to telephone the Council directly.Tel: 0808 175 3599
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Council Tax discounts if you live with an adult who has a severe mental impairment
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If you live with an adult with a severe mental impairment, you could be missing out on a Council Tax discount. The discount is 25 per cent minimum off your Council Tax bill.
To qualify for the discount, the adult with a severe mental impairment needs to be receiving at least one of the following benefits and have a certificate from a GP. Although being severely mentally impaired is a medical diagnosis in itself, the underlying cause could be a condition such as dementia, profound learning difficulties, the result of a severe stroke, or something else.
- Incapacity benefit
- Attendance allowance
- Severe disablement allowance
- Disability living allowance (higher or middle-rate care component)
- Increase in disablement pension (due to constant attendance being needed)
- Unemployability supplement or allowance
- Constant attendance allowance
- Income support (which includes a disability premium)
- Personal independence payment (standard or enhanced daily living component)
- Armed forces independence payment
- Disability working allowance (based on getting income support including disability premium)
- Universal credit (including an element for limited capability for work or limited capability for work and work-related activity).
Adults who have been diagnosed as severely mentally impaired may be entitled to a Council Tax discount or if they live alone exempt from paying Council Tax altogether. This means that their households could be entitled to claim one of the following Council Tax discounts.
- If you are an adult with a severe mental impairment who lives alone or with one or more other adults who also have a severe mental impairment, you are exempt from paying Council Tax altogether.
- A 50 per cent Council Tax discount may apply if you are an adult with a severe mental impairment living with an adult carer.
- A 25 per cent Council Tax discount will apply if you are an adult with a severe mental impairment and you live with one other adult who is not severally mentally impaired.
When an adult with severe mental impairment lives with two or more other adults who are not severally mentally impaired then no Council Tax discount applies.
How to apply
- You can read more about Council Tax discounts for adults with a severe mental impairment and apply online using the link below.
- To complete the application, you will need a certificate from a GP showing that the individual has a severe mental impairment.
- You might also be asked to provide evidence that you receive relevant benefits to qualify for the Council Tax discount.
Severely mentally impaired | Cheshire West and Chester Council
If you would like more information, you can contact Citizens Advice Cheshire West. You can also ask them about other benefits you might be eligible for.
Tel: 0808 2787 806
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Take a free 'Midlife Money MOT'
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The Government has launched a new online Midlife MOT tool to get people thinking about their work, health and money and plan for a more secure retirement.
The Midlife MOT includes a five-minute money survey for people aged 45 to 65 who want help in identifying actions to improve their finances. It can give you tips about what to prioritise and where to turn for help before retirement.
You don't need any documents or extra information to use the free tool and any information you input will be kept completely anonymous. You can download your results to help you improve your finances.
Additional resources around getting your finances back on track, including a budget planner and debt advice is available on the Money Helper website.
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Final reminder to redeem your Energy Bills Support vouchers
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There’s just one week left to redeem your Energy Bills Support vouchers before the Government scheme closes on 30 June.
If you are a customer on a traditional prepayment meter, your vouchers will have been sent from your electricity supplier by text, email or through the post. If you have lost your vouchers or they have expired, you will need to act quickly and contact your electricity supplier who can reissue these.
You can redeem your vouchers at the local Post Office or PayPoint indicated on your vouchers, but remember you will need to take along your ID.
If you’ve already claimed the energy support that you’re eligible for but you are still struggling with the rising cost of food, energy and other essential household costs then additional help may be available to you through the Household Support Fund.
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Help with paying your TV Licence
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TV Licensing: What is the Simple Payment Plan?Did you know that you might be able to get help with paying your TV Licence through the Simple Payment Plan?
With a referral, you can choose from either a fortnightly or monthly payment plan that spreads the cost of a TV Licence over 12 months. This means you make smaller payments more frequently, helping you to manage your money. Payments work out at around £3 per week, so it is the most affordable way to pay for a TV Licence.
Any not-for-profit organisation or local authority debt advice team providing free, confidential, and independent money advice can refer you to join the TV Licensing Simple Payment Plan.
If you would like to speak to someone about your finances, and ask about a referral, you can call the Citizens Advice debt helpline on 0800 240 4420.
Apply for a free TV Licence if you're aged 75 or over and receive Pension CreditOther TV Licence concessions
There are other TV licence concessions which you might be eligible for.
If you are aged 75 or over, and receive Pension Credit, you can apply for a free TV Licence.
Apply for a 50 per cent concession if you're blind or severely sight impairedIf you are blind or severely sight impaired, you can apply for a 50 per cent concession for a TV Licence online.
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Free maths and budgeting courses with Multiply
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At the Cheshire West and Chester Work Zones, you can access free maths courses to improve your skills, learn how to manage a budget, or get qualifications to help you find quality employment. All you need is to be over the age of 19, and to not already have a Level 2 qualification in maths (A-C at maths GCSE).
The government-funded Multiply programme is designed to help people gain skills and feel confident using maths in their daily lives. There are a wide range of courses available.
Maths workshops
If you don't want to do a qualification but do want to learn practical numeracy skills, the Work Zones offer interactive courses that help you apply maths to everyday tasks like cooking. For example, the Ellesmere Port Work Zone offers courses on food budgeting and money managing. Learning how to cook an affordable meal and stay on top of how much you're spending on your groceries is more important than ever as the cost of living rises.
Alternatively, you could do a 'Brush up on your Maths' course at Chester Work Zone to build your confidence in maths.
The workshops take around 5-10 hours and can be completed in a couple of sessions. They're very flexible, so you can do them in-person, in the Work Zones or school hubs, or online.
Get a maths qualification
If you want to get a qualification in maths, you could do a Functional Skills Maths course which will have an assessment at the end. You can do Entry 3, Level 1, or Level 2 functional maths skills. A Level 2 qualification is equivalent to an A-C GCSE in maths.
Maths Award courses
If you're less confident in your maths or find assessments stressful, you can take a Maths Award course. These courses will be adapted to fit your ability and your learning style to help you gain maths skills that will be useful in your daily life. You can use your coursework to achieve the award instead of an exam, and then go on to do a Functional Skills qualification afterwards if you wish.
How do I book a course?
To find out more about the courses and sign up, please contact your local Work Zone from the list below to see what they offer. If you don't want to phone, you can pop into the Work Zone.
- Ellesmere Port Work Zone, The Portal, Wellington Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65
- Tel: 07990 532 869
- Northwich Work Zone, Waterside House, Navigation Road, Northwich, CW8 1BE
- Tel: 07833 236 675
- Winsford Work Zone, Wyvern House, The Drumber, Winsford, CW7 1AH
- Tel: 07766 205 389
- Chester Work Zone, The Bluecoat Buildings, Upper Northgate Street, Chester, CH1 4EE
- Tel: 07775 717 122
Alternatively, you can send an email to multiply@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk to get more information and sign up for a course. Or, you can call Simon Dutton:
- Tel: 07798 742 100
Multiply for parents
If you are a parent, Multiply also offers courses in certain schools, including how to 'Help your child with maths'. For more information, contact your local Work Zone from the list above.
Book-keeping courses coming soon
From September 2023, Work Zones are also going to be offering workshops on bookkeeping. So, if you want to set up a business or run one already, you can gain the skills you need to manage your own finances.
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Household Support Fund
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Household Support FundMany people are struggling with the rising cost of living. If you're one of those people, then the Household Support Fund may be able to help you.
Recently extended by the Government until 31 March 2024, the Household Support Fund is there to support households in the most need, especially with energy costs, food, water bills and other related essential items. The fund is available to a broad range of low-income households across the borough including families with children of all ages, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers, and people with disabilities.
It's worth noting that you don't need to be getting benefits to receive help from the Household Support Fund and if you are receiving benefits the additional funding to help with the cost of living will not affect your benefits.
To find out more about the Household Support Fund and to check if you're eligible to apply, visit:
Cost of living supportThere is also information and guidance about food provision, money advice and mental health and wellbeing support on the Council's cost of living page:
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Live Well Cheshire West
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If you're looking for support in your local area, look no further than Live Well. Live Well Cheshire West is a website produced by the Council, working with the NHS. It can help you find information about local services, support, activities, and events for everyone across a broad range of subjects including social care, health and wellbeing, education, employment, support for carers and much more.
Visit the Live Well page and put in your postcode or area, along with the type of support you are looking for, to find services near you. You can also filter the results by all sorts of different requirements like whether the service can cater to dietary requirements, or whether they are open before or after school times. Live Well offers support to people of all ages, including children and families.
Live Well Cheshire West: Malpas Community KitchenMoney Matters
There is a dedicated Money Matters section which can show you support for bills, budgeting, debt, benefits, and more. For example, if you live in rural Cheshire and are worried about affording hot meals for yourself or your family, you could visit Malpas Community Kitchen on a Wednesday lunchtime and enjoy a hot meal for free, no referral needed.
turn2us: Your Situation A-ZIf you are struggling to pay your bills as the cost of living rises, you may be eligible for benefits that you are not yet claiming. Live Well can direct you to this A-Z list of welfare benefits and grants, made by Turn2Us.
Changing Lives Together: What we doYou might need a new fridge or washing machine but not be able to afford a large sum right now. On Live Well, you can see a whole list of organisations that provide white goods and furniture at affordable prices. Changing Lives Together offer new and reused furniture for low prices, as well as many other services like distributing food that would otherwise have gone to waste, connecting socially isolated members of the community, and providing a community bus service to help residents get around.
Watch this short video which shows you how to find the information you're looking for on Live Well Cheshire West.
If you know anyone who is not online, Live Well can be accessed at any local Cheshire West and Chester Council library. Staff at the library can help people get online and find services to improve their computer skills.
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Help with broadband, TV or phone bills
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Mobile phones and broadband are essential for using online services like banking and job applications, but two million households in the UK struggle to afford their internet bill.
Cheaper broadband if you receive benefits
Did you know that if you receive certain benefits, you might be able to get a low-cost plan from your broadband or mobile provider? If you receive Universal Credit, Jobseeker's Allowance, Pension Credit, or Employment and Support Allowance, take a look at the list of cheap tariffs that you could access on the Ofcom website. Remember, if you are switching packages, check whether there’s a cancellation fee first.
Ofcom: Cheaper broadband and phone packages
Find your nearest JobcentreFree broadband if you're a jobseeker
If you're looking for work, you can go to your local Jobcentre and request a voucher to get free broadband from TalkTalk. The voucher allows you to get six months of TalkTalk's Fibre 35 broadband service with no contract or credit check required. There is no cancellation fee at the end of the six months.
MoneyHelper: Debt advice locatorStruggling to pay your bills?
If you're struggling to pay your mobile phone bill, there are steps you can take to make it more affordable. It's important to keep up with your payments if you can. This isn’t just so you don't lose your connection, but also because it could affect your credit score if you don’t.
If you need help, contact your provider as soon as possible to explain the situation. Many providers have support in place to help you, such as changing your bill date, setting up an affordable repayment plan, moving to a different tariff, or lowering your spending cap.
If you are still worried about paying your bills and need debt advice, you can find free debt advice near you. Check out the MoneyHelper locator for online, telephone, and face-to-face debt advice at no charge.
How to save money on your home phone and broadbandSave money by switching packages
If you're on a mobile phone contract, you might be able to move to a cheaper pay-as-you go tariff or sim-only deal. MoneyHelper have created a guide on how to shop around to find the cheapest phone and broadband packages that work for you.
Citizens Advice: Guide to cancelling phone, TV, internet or mobile contractsBefore you switch packages, make sure to check if you have to pay a fee to end your current contract early. There's a useful guide on cancelling a phone, TV, internet, or mobile contract on the Citizens Advice website.
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Save money on your prescriptions
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Did you know that you can pay a set amount per month for as many prescriptions as you need? As long as you live in England, you can sign up for a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC) from the NHS which may make your prescriptions cheaper.
A 3 or 12-month PPC covers all your prescriptions for that period, no matter how many you need. A prescription costs £9.65 per item, but a PPC costs:
- £31.25 for 3 months
- £111.60 for 12 months
This means if you’re going to buy 4 or more prescriptions in 3 months, or 12 or more prescriptions in 12 months, you could save money with a prescription prepayment certificate.
You can pay in 10 monthly instalments if you buy a 12-month prescription prepayment certificate.
How to get a prescription prepayment certificate
You can buy PPCs online or call the order line on 0300 330 1341 and pay by debit card or credit card. Please be aware that there is a charge for the phoneline.