Household Bills, Utilities, Winter Fuel & Council Tax
Right now, I understand the number one issue on people's minds is the rising cost of energy bills and cost of living.
19/12/2022
The Government has updated the Help for Households page.
Please visit https://helpforhouseholds.campaign.gov.uk/ for up to date information on support with the cost of living and energy saving tips.
02/11/2022
In partnership with Lendology CIC, a Social Enterprise lender, North Devon's local authority provides council-funded loans for home repairs, improvements, energy efficiency and renewable energy measures. Lendology works in partnership with local organisation such as 361 Energy to make sure that people have access to impartial energy advice and home ‘retrofit’ support.
The partnership with Lendology CIC has facilitated home improvement loans for the last 15 years, however the policy has been recently revised to make it accessible to a wider range of residents.
For more information, visit www.lendology.org.uk or call Lendology on 01823 461099
01/07/2022
I attended a session on run by various organisations on how they are helping people with the cost of living. Please use the toolbar to the left to see specific details.
26/05/2022
On top of previous announcements, the Government has announced today a welcome new package of support.
£650 cost of living payment for every household on means-tested benefits.
£300 pensioner cost of living payment for every pensioner household in receipt of Winter Fuel Payment.
£150 disability cost of living payment for those in receipt of disability benefits.
We are providing an additional £500 million for the existing Household Fund from October, to ensure local councils can support those not covered by the above set of payments. Local councils will continue to have discretion over exactly how the funding is used.
Doubling the October £200 energy rebate to £400 – and turning it into a cash grant.
This package equates to £1,200 for those on the lowest incomes – around one-third of all households.
Pensioners will receive £850. A pensioner household will receive £300 through the additional Winter Fuel Payment, £400 from the energy bills cash grant and £150 from the council tax rebate.
Hard-working families will receive £550. Most households will receive £150 from the council tax rebate, along with £400 from the energy bills cash grant.
Some individuals could receive up to £1,650. A low-income household on pension credit with a disability would receive the £650 one-off payment, £300 through the Winter Fuel Payment, £150 for disability benefit recipients, £400 from the energy bills cash grant, and £150 from the council tax rebate.
A targeted and temporary Energy Profits Levy on profits of oil and gas companies will help pay for this investment in households.
The new Levy will be charged on profits of oil and gas companies at a rate of 25 per cent, on top of the existing 40 per cent headline rate of corporation tax.
A new Investment Allowance will double the overall investment relief for oil and gas companies, so companies will have a significant incentive to reinvest their profits into the UK to decarbonise our energy production and increase our energy security. Rewarding the investment that we need to see.
Modelled on the ‘super-deduction’, for every £1 an oil or gas company invests, they will pay 91 per cent less tax – so the more a company invests, the less tax they will pay. And this relief will be available straight away, rather than waiting for profits which is normal for existing investment reliefs.
For more information please visit - Cost of Living Support – Get government support to help with the cost of living (campaign.gov.uk)
23/03/2022
The Government has released the following factsheet which outlines current measures being taken to support the cost of living.
21/03/2022
28% of North Devon residents do not have access to mains gas and live “off grid”. Most these properties rely on oil for heating, delivered in bulk and have seen prices sky rocket in recent weeks and many residents report not being able to secure a delivery at all.
Energy Minister, Greg Hands, has met with rural MPs to discuss the situation and provide more detail on the supply situation.
Reassuringly there is no supply issue at this time. There has been significant volatility in the market, with prices now having peaked, but some companies have a backlog of deliveries where customers rushed to order as the price rose. Suppliers are prioritising their most vulnerable customers, but deliveries should stabilise in the coming days.
Heating oil does not have a price cap so prices are subject entirely to the market (and it is important to note the price cap was never introduced to limit price rises in other energy supplies, but to protect customers from unscrupulous suppliers in a monopoly position). The advice from the industry body to manage the price consumers pay is:
- To shop around for the best price as it does vary on a daily basis
- To form a buying group with neighbours so you are able to order a bigger delivery, which will reduce the price
- Speak to your supplier about spreading the cost of a delivery onto a monthly basis
- Longer term, to decarbonise your heating, and likely as time goes on reduce your bills look into Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as an alternative supply – it costs about £500 to convert an oil system to HVO
Last week I also attended a dinner focused on how to make homes more energy efficient, hosted by NatWest and with guests from companies from Centrica to Citizens’ Advice, Shelter to the National Housebuilding Federation and as the world energy crisis rages on with little sign of abatement, I do hope residents will do everything they can to make their homes and businesses more energy efficient, and where they can take this focus on our energy use to switch to decarbonise as well as use devices such as smart meters to highlight which are the gadgets in our homes most likely to send our bills soaring.
British Gas have been doing everything they can to hold down the price of energy for their customers including freezing direct debit payments through the winter, and creating a £2m winter fund to provide energy grants to help some customers and their families this winter. Support includes:
- Priority Services Register – for households that need extra support, such as free annual gas safety checks.
- Sources of additional support – such as Citizens Advice and the Money Advice Service; as well as contact information for our customers.
- Assessing eligibility for grants through the British Gas Energy Trust (even if you’re not a British Gas customer) which offers energy debt advice and support.
- In December 2021, British Gas launched a £2m fund to help our most financially vulnerable customers who are struggling to pay their bills this winter.
To find out more information on their support, click here.
361 Community Energy is a not-for-profit company based locally in North Devon. With a mission to reduce carbon footprint, 361 offer free energy efficiency visit to local residents to reduce their fuel bills and help to access grants for loft insulation, wall insulation and new boilers.
To find out more information on home energy efficiency reviews, click here.
Citizens Advice offer a range of support and information on discount schemes and available financial support to help you through winter months.
Cold weather payments and Warm Home discount schemes can offer up to £140 off your electricity bill.
To find out if you are eligible for Winter Fuel Payments, Warm Home discount schemes, or are in debt to your energy provider and are looking for information on grants click here to find a compilation of Government and Energy Supplier advice.
The Fuel Bank Foundation offers a range of advice and services to help from help to apply for help to money saving tips.
Fair for You Enterprise CIC is an ethical lender, backed by leading charities and foundations, and the Government’s dormant assets scheme. We lend to some of the poorest people in the UK - the roughly 10 million who struggle to access mainstream credit, enabling them to quickly buy household essentials online. Retail partners include Argos, Currys, Habitat, Carpetright and Whirlpool
There is help available if you’re worried about your energy bills. Smart Energy GB have worked together to create a helpful advice guide.
Find out more: https://www.smartenergygb.org/advice-for-those-worried-about-energy-bills
If you are a prepay customer, having a smart meter allows you to set budget alerts and top up from home online, by text or with an app.
The in-home display will also show how much credit you have left.
Find out more here: https://www.smartenergygb.org/benefits-for-prepay-customers
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Food Banks, Pantries and other Social Enterprises
To help mitigate the cost of living, there are a range of local services offering free support and advice as families may struggle with the cost of living.
One Northern Devon is a local partnership working to improve the wellbeing of the people of North Devon and Torridge, looking to tackle problems facing local residents such as unsuitable housing, poor employment prospects and social isolation.
This partnership offers one-to-one support to improve the health and wellbeing of all local residents.
North Devon Homes (NDH) is a registered charity providing a number of support services and a provider of affordable homes for those who need them.
As well as affordable housing, NDH offers many Independent Living Schemes to provide a safe and comforting community for over 55s to enjoy an independent way of living with available support. Click here to check the availability of Independent living Schemes as well as contact details and locations.
Anyone can reach crises point for a number of different reasons. Northern Devon Foodbank offers a range of supportive measures for those who need it, offering food up to 7 days of food parcels which can be organised in person or by phone. Foodbanks work using a voucher referral system to help provide you with the most appropriate help for your circumstances.
Foodbank volunteers are specially trained to know about local services and offer practical guidance to assist you to break out of crises point.
Further information including contact details and location can be found on their website by clicking here.
Encompass South West is an independent regional charity which provides a range of advice, information and support services to rural and remote services.
With a focus on homelessness, housing support and financial advice, if you need advice please seek support and advice as soon as possible to help prevent you becoming homeless or to find you supported accommodation. To make a referral, Encompasses referral form can be found by clicking here.