Category Archives: Caring Together

One week left to use old £20 and £50 notes

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Following the introduction of polymer notes in 2020, the paper £20 and £50 notes will cease to be legal tender on 30th September and you will no longer be able to use them in shops etc.

So now seems like a good time to check down the back of the sofa or in the pockets of that coat you haven’t worn all summer and see if you still have any old notes.

Spend them before next Friday, swap them at a bank, or deposit them into your bank account.

If you find you still have some after Friday’s deadline you will not be able to spend them but you still have options:

Your bank may swap them for new notes or let you deposit them into your account.

Your local Post Office may let you deposit them into your bank account but you won’t be able to do a swap for new notes at the post office.

Many banks and Post Offices will be happy to do this but they are not obliged to, so if you are unable to swap or deposit them with your own bank, the Bank of England will swap the old notes for you.

You can do this in person at the Bank of England (BoE) counter at Threadneedle Street, London. You may need to provide two original identity (ID) documents or you can send them by post. You need to fill in a form and send copies of ID – see https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/banknotes/exchanging-old-banknotes for the form and more details.

Or, an easier option, if your bank or post office says no, might be to ask a friend or family member to try their bank.

Cost of living payments

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£150 cost of living payments for those receiving disability benefits are starting to be paid from this week and everyone who is eligible should have received it by beginning of October.

You are entitled to this payment if you receive one of the following benefits (note you must have been entitled to it on the qualifying date – 25th May 2022)

  • Attendance Allowance
  • Constant Attendance Allowance
  • Disability Living Allowance
  • Personal Independence Payment
  • Armed Forces Independence Payment
  • War Pension Mobility Supplement

It will be paid into the same bank account as your benefit – you do not need to do anything it will be paid automatically.

Scam warning

There have been reports of people receiving text messages asking them to follow a link to claim this payment. This is a scam – you do not have to claim this payment it should be paid to you automatically.

Please be aware and don’t click any links on a message like this, or give any details out to anyone for payment of this, the DWP will not need to ask you for any of this as they will be paying you with the same details they use to pay your benefits.

Backstage tour of The Grand Theatre

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East Street Arts have got an event coming up with Opera North. They would like to invite you to come and have a backstage tour of The Grand Theatre, including on stage to see their amazing stage set up close, and then stay for the dress rehearsal of their brand new show ‘La Traviata’. This is a perfect visit for anyone who has never been to the opera, or who is curious about what happens backstage! The event is on Monday 26th September 2022. The tour will take place from 16:30 – 17:45. The dress rehearsal will take place from 18:30. It finishes at 21.30pmIf this is of interest to you you can book a ticket using this link.

Register on Eventbrite
On stage with Opera North

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Bank Holiday – need to knows

You will be aware that Monday 19th September has been designated a bank holiday for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

If you are due to be paid your Pension or any benefits on Monday 19th, they will be paid into your bank on Friday 16th.

Many shops, including most supermarkets, and cafes/restaurants, food outlets and even some pubs will be closed – even those who usually open on bank holidays, so if you need shopping plan to do it beforehand. If you were expecting an online grocery delivery on Monday 19th it is likely to be cancelled, hopefully the supplier will have been in touch – if not it’s probably best to contact them and find out what alternative arrangements you can make.

Most GP practices will close as on a normal bank holiday but you will still be able to access health care if you need it – call 111 or use https://111.nhs.uk/. If you need a pharmacy on Monday you should be able to find out which are open on https://www.nhs.uk/service-search/pharmacy/find-a-pharmacy.

Leeds Teaching hospitals have said they are trying to continue with planned appointments and operations as much a possible so if you have an appointment and haven’t been contacted to say it is cancelled please attend as normal.

LCC bin collections will be suspended on Monday 19th and so bins will all be collected one day later this week – including Sunday 25th September.

Finally, the queens funeral will be shown on most TV channels – coverage will be most of the day but the funeral itself is 11am. You can also watch it on the big screen at Millennium Square. This is free and will be from 10am – 6pm more details here https://www.millsqleeds.com/…/live-coverage-of-the…/…

Cost of living/energy bills help – update

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Government today announced the new energy price guarantee. This will start on 1st October and will cap the energy costs for a household with ‘typical’ use at £2500 (it is currently £1971). The Energy Price Guarantee limits the amount households can be charged per unit of gas or electricity. So your exact bill will continue to depend on how much energy you use.

If you have fixed your tariff you can either stay on this, or can leave and switch to the new subsidised tariffs with no exit penalties. There will be some discount applied to existing fixed rates as part of this scheme so you may have to work out which tariff benefits you most.

The £400 payment to all homes this winter will still be paid – this is to be spread over 6 months, as a credit on your bill, a reduction in direct debits or by voucher for those on pre-payment meters.

For those who pay electricity costs via their landlord, equivalent help is promised but there are no details yet.

The other, previously announced, cost of living payments for those on means tested benefits, people over state pension age and those who receive disability benefits will go ahead as planned.

While this is welcome news compared to the £3549 cap that was due to come into effect in October it is still an increase of more than 25% on top of the already extremely high cap. If you are struggling to afford your energy bills please reach out for help.

Contact your supplier first – they have an obligation to try and help you and many suppliers have set up hardship funds.

Caring Together members – or anyone over 55 in Woodhouse, Little London or Leeds city centre – speak to us and we will help you to explore your options re getting help with your bills or seeing if you are entitled to any additional income.

We will also be hosting some information sessions with the Energy Efficiency Worker from Green Doctor Leeds, where you can come along and have a cuppa and have a chat about your current energy bills and energy efficiency:

Monday 12th September at Caring Together premises, 127 Woodhouse Street – 11am -12.30pm

Thursday 27th October and Thursday 24th November at Little London Community Centre 2.30pm-4pm