Stay well this winter (Adults/Local Offer)

Home Energy Checklist

The information in the leaflet Your Home Energy Checklist will help guide you through financial help available and practical steps you can take to help keep your home feeling warmer this winter.

Warm Home Discount

Warm Home Discount – increasing from £140 to £150 this Winter (22/23)

Households on means tested benefits with high energy use may be eligible for a one off £150 payment from their energy supplier every winter.

The £150 is not paid to the applicant but taken off their electricity bill sometime between September and March.

Applications must be made directly to the energy supplier annually, except for those on Pension Credit (Guarantee Credit) who should receive this automatically.

Energy Bills rebate

A £150 one off payment between April and September 2022 for households in council tax bands A to D, known as the Council Tax Rebate.

If you pay by direct debit, the payment should automatically be paid into your account.

If you pay by other means you will have to contact your local authority to arrange payment to you.

Energy Bills Support Scheme - £400 discount

Energy bills discount n from October 2022 was doubled from £200 to £400. 

Households received a £400 discount on their energy bills from October onwards.

The discount was credited directly to your account/prepay meter.

Cost of living support

The government announced additional support for households on certain benefits – full information can be found on the attached factsheet:

Cost of living support factsheet

Household Support Fund - £100

Up to £100 payment is available to people experiencing immediate financial hardship to help with paying for household energy bills and food.

You can find out more on the Household Support Fund page.

Winter Fuel Payment

This is an automatic payment of up to £300 for people aged 66+ as at September 2022.

Payments are made automatically in November and December.  Find out more here.

Cold weather payment

This is paid for periods of very cold weather lasting 7 days or more between 1 Nov and 31 March for people on specific eligible benefits.

Find out more here.

Infomation from the RNIB on cost of living

Rapid rises in the cost of living are having a bigger impact on blind and partially sighted people. People with sight loss already face additional, unavoidable costs like taxi journeys, assistive technology and support in the home.

RNIB have produced some useful information.  Find out more here.

Join your energy supplier's Priority Services Register

If you live in England, Scotland or Wales, you can contact your energy supplier to register as a vulnerable customer on their Priority Services Register.

We strongly advise families with children who have disabilities or rely on medical equipment to do this ahead of winter.

What does being on the Priority Services Register do?

Many suppliers will give vulnerable customers advanced notice of planned power cuts and offer priority support during emergencies. Some may be able to provide cooking facilities, hot meals or charge points to households that rely on medical equipment.

Suppliers must take all reasonable steps to avoid disconnecting you during the winter months (1 October – 31 March). Suppliers that have signed up to Energy UK’s Vulnerability Commitment cannot knowingly disconnect a vulnerable customer at any time of the year

You can also join the register of your energy network operator. This is the company that provides the pipes and cables that bring energy from your supplier to your home.

What is a vulnerable customer?

Ofgem – the energy regulator – lists customers normally considered vulnerable.

This includes disabled households and those young children, and households that use medical equipment that requires a power supply.

How do I register?

Contact your energy supplier and ask them to put you on their Priority Services Register.

You can also contact your local electricity network operator to ensure you are also on their register. Find out who that is.

National Energy Action's Warm and Safe Home Advice Service

The NEA’s WASH Advice Service is a free support service providing advice to householders on their energy bills and keeping warm and safe in their home.

The service offers tailored face to face, telephone or online advice and support with:

• Warm Home Discount and Trust fund applications
• Support with gas and electricity accounts including fuel debt
• Switching suppliers
• Energy efficiency
• Benefits advice and income maximisation

You can speak to an adviser directly by calling 0800 304 7159

Winter Support Hubs are opening across Peterborough during November.

They are for any resident in the city struggling with the cost of living.

Find out more on the Winter Support Hubs page.

The LEAP energy service are offering local residents a completely FREE OF CHARGE service called LEAP (Local Energy Advice Partnership). LEAP can help you to save money and keep your home warm and cosy.

You may be eligible for the LEAP service if one of the below apply.  If you: 

• have a low income
• receive tax credits
• receive Housing Benefit
• receive an income or disability related benefit
• have a long term illness or disability

Find out more on the LEAP website.

Age UK have lots of useful tips about staying warm in winter.  Find out more on their website.

Anglian Water is here to help you when you need it most. If you are struggling to afford your bill, Anglian Water’s specially-trained Extra Care Support Team can help find a way forward, with a personalised plan to find the cheapest tariff or a flexible payment plan made just for you.

Anglian Water also wants to help you save water and in turn save you more money. To do so, simply request your free water saving home kit to help with those bills.

Visit Anglian Water’s Extra Care Support team, call on 0800 232 1951 or download the Extra Care Support leaflet.

The pandemic and the rising cost of living have left lots of people with new money worries. Whether you’ve been caught off guard by higher bills and payments, uncertain income or the loss of a job, MoneyHelper can help you find your way forward and take the first step towards getting on top of things.

Find your way forward with MoneyHelper

MoneyHelper is a free service provided by the Money and Pensions Service. Here to cut through the jargon and complexity, explain what you need to do and how you can do it. Here to put you in control, with free, impartial help that’s quick to find, easy to use and backed by government.

A crisis can occur for lots of different reasons – benefit delays, losing a job, an unexpected bill or gradually things getting more difficult until no longer you feel you can cope. If you don’t have enough money to feed, clothe or keep warm there is help available. There is no need to struggle alone.

Visit the Making Money Count website now.

To find out more about what support is available if you are struggling with debt, visit the following pages:

Money Matters (Adult)

Money and Benefits (Local Offer)

The winter months can be challenging for both you and the NHS. ‘Help Us Help you’ is an NHS Winter Pressures campaign to help you understand the actions you can take to stay healthy and manage your own health to help reduce the pressure on the NHS.

To help you understand what actions you can take to prepare for winter and to get the right help at the right time, click on the NHS campaigns below.

Get your flu vaccination

Prepare for Winter and get vaccinated against the flu virus. Flu vaccination is available every year on the NHS to help protect adults and children at risk of flu and its complications. However for certain groups, flu can be more severe, and therefore be eligible for the free flu jab.

You are eligible for the free flu vaccine if you are pregnant, are aged 65 years or over, have a long-term health condition (check which conditions are eligible), or are a carer. Children aged 2 or 3 years are also eligible.

Ring NHS 111 if you have an urgent medical condition

Contact your local GP surgery, local pharmacy or midwifery service for your free NHS flu vaccine to help protect you against the risk of flu and its complications.

Do you have an urgent but non-life-threatening medical concern? Not sure what to do? Ring NHS 111 to find out what to do and where to go.

NHS 111 (online or by phone) will direct you to the most appropriate local service. This is particularly

important when your pharmacy is closed to ensure that you get the support you need 24 hours a day.

Don't wait for our symptoms to get worse, ask your Pharmacy team first

Seek advice from a local pharmacist to prepare for winter. If you start to feel unwell, even if it's a cough or a cold, don't wait until it gets more serious. Seek advice from your pharmacist. Pharmacists are qualified healthcare professionals with the clinical know how to give you the help you need, whether it’s over the counter medicines, a few days rest or a bit of reassurance. Better still all this can be done without the need of an appointment.

Most people live within easy reach of a pharmacy, and with many now offering longer opening hours, it’s easier to get the help and advice you need, without booking an appointment.

To find your nearest pharmacy, visit: https://beta.nhs.uk/find-a-pharmacy/

Your Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Against Scams Partnership (CAPASP) is a county-wide partnership of public, private and voluntary sector organisations committed to working together to stop scams and doorstep crime across the county.

You can help protect your local community by raising awareness of scams. This helps people to identify when they might be at risk, and empowers them to take action. Please see the scam prevention resources webpage for materials to help support your community.

By attending a Friends Against Scams awareness session or completing the online learning, you can learn about the different types of scams and how to spot and support a victim. With increased knowledge and awareness, people can make scams part of everyday conversation with their family, friends and neighbours, which will enable them to protect themselves and others.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Armed Forces Covenant

Are you or have you served in the armed forces, either as a regular or reservist? Have you suffered any physical or mental injury or illness as a result of service? Are you a family member (spouse, including those bereaved, or dependent child) of someone that is serving or has served in the armed forces, regular or reservist?

The Armed Forces Covenant is a promise between the nation, the government and the Armed Forces community, ensuring that those who serve, and have served, in the Armed Forces and their families, are treated fairly and are not disadvantaged by their service. It also states that in some cases special consideration to those wounded, injured or sick and the bereaved should be given.

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Armed Forces Covenant Partnerships are in place to support delivery of the above pledge. There are many services across the county that support those in the military community.

If you are needing support, you can access a full list of support organisations through the Forces Connect App. If you don’t have access to a smart device and are needing help and support with a service related issue please email covenant@cambridgeshire.gov.uk.

Royal Air Force (RAF) Benevolent Fund

If you are a current or former member of the Royal Air Force, a partner (or a widow or former spouse) with dependent children, then you may be entitled to the wide range of support from the Royal Air Force (RAF) Benevolent Fund, including:

Financial assistance with eligibility of less than £16,000 in savings (£23,250 relating to care).

• Assistance with day-to-day living costs, unemployment, retraining.
• Help with housing costs and disability adaptations and aids around the home.
• Resettlement cost with aid for initial rent and costs supported.
• Cost of mobility equipment, care costs and support for carers.
• Group and wellbeing holiday breaks.
• Help with funeral costs (eligibility criteria pending)

None means-tested support includes:

• Advice and advocacy - welfare benefits and housing and social care.
• Emotional health and wellbeing- listening and counselling service (relationships, bereavement, anxiety and self-esteem). 24/7 emotional support helpline run in partnership with Vita Wellness providing immediate, one-off emotional support from trained counsellors.
• Counselling support for children aged +11.
• Access to 4 self-help programmes for people struggling with specific wellbeing issues. The modules are Space from COVID, Space for Resilience, Space for Sleep, Space from Stress.
• Legal Advice Helpline - in partnership with Law Express, to provide access to confidential and impartial legal telephone support. This service can be accessed by contacting legal.advice@rafbf.org.uk

To access any of the wide range of support available, please contact the RAF Benevolent Fund on 0300 102 1919 or email  mail@rafbf.org.uk

No one should have to face going hungry. That’s why Foodbanks provide three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to us in crisis.

If you are reaching crisis point or in a crisis, please contact your local Foodbank:

Peterborough Foodbank

Taking those first steps towards a healthier lifestyle is not always easy, despite the positive impact it has on your health. Moving more, eating well and sleeping well helps to protect you and keep you healthy during the winter months.

To help and support you make some small positive changes to your lifestyle, Healthy You offer a free service for residents across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

Their free services include, but are not limited to:

• Adult Weight Management
• NHS Health Checks
• Stop Smoking Services
• Falls prevention
• Health Trainer Service (with focused support for Alcohol Reduction, Diabetes and Mental Health)

Healthy You can support you to make those small changes and create achievable goals to help you improve your health and wellbeing. We will provide you with the tools, encouragement and motivational support every step of the way.

For more information on our range of FREE Services:

Text: HEALTHYU to 60777

Call: 0333 005 0093

Or visit the Healthy You website for further information and to self-refer into any of the above services.

Local community based organisations supporting people to improve their health and well being in Peterborough.

Contact the Peterborough Well being Service now on 01733 342683