Category Archives: Community News

New Measures to help with cost of living

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The government has announced further measures to help with the ongoing cost of living crisis, and in particular rising fuel bills

All households will get £400 cut from the fuel bill in October, this is replacing the £200 ‘loan payment’ proposed earlier and it will not have to be repaid.  It will be credited to your electricity bill (if you are on a prepayment meter this is likely to be paid in top-up vouchers).

In addition, people over State Pension age (on 26th September 2022)  will be paid an extra £300 on top of the existing Winter Fuel Allowance.  This should be paid directly into your bank account in November or December

Households in receipt of means tested benefits will receive £650, to be paid in two instalments, one in July and one in the autumn.  This will apply to you if you get: Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support,  Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit. 

A £150 disability cost of living payment will be made in September to those receiving non-means tested disability benefits—Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Attendance Allowance, Scottish Disability Benefits, Armed Forces Independence Payment, Constant Attendance Allowance, War Pension Mobility Supplement.

You do not need to claim any of these—they should be paid automatically to you.  You  will receive all of the payments you qualify for and they do not affect any other benefits and are not taxable.  They are all intended as one off measures for this year only.

This is in addition to the £150 paid via Council Tax that many people will have already received. All households in band A-D qualify for this even if you do not pay any council tax because you get full council tax support or are exempt for another reason.  If you pay your Council Tax by direct debit this should have already been paid into your bank account.  People who don’t pay by direct debit needed to claim this payment online at www.leeds.gov.uk/council-tax/£150-council-tax-rebate.  Caring Together have helped many  members to claim this but if you still haven’t claimed please get in touch with us if you need assistance to do so.

The household support fund has also been increased, and extended to March 2023.  This is money paid to local councils to help them support those most in need, with rising cost of food, energy, and water bills. You may be able to get help from this if you do not qualify for the other measures.  You can contact Leeds Welfare Support on 0113 376 0330.

If you are struggling, please ask for help. Caring Together can help our members to look at the options and to access the support that is available so please contact us.  Even if you are not a member, we can try and put you in touch with the organisations that can offer help.

Do you know the signs of dementia?

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“It’s not called getting old, it’s called getting ill”

It’s Dementia Action Week and this year’s campaign will focus on the theme of diagnosis.

If you or a loved one is experiencing memory loss, it could be a sign of dementia.

Alzheimer’s Society research shows that the misconception around memory loss being a sign of normal ageing is the biggest barrier to people seeking a dementia diagnosis.

With diagnosis rates falling to a five-year low, we want to encourage those who might be living with undiagnosed dementia to come to us for guidance and support and feel empowered to take the next step.

Getting a diagnosis can be daunting, but we believe it’s better to know. And so do 91% of people affected by dementia.

Forgetting things from time to time is usually normal. But if memory loss is affecting your daily life, it’s a good idea to seek help. The Alzheimer’s Society can give you advice to help you understand if your symptoms are related to dementia. https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/symptoms-and-diagnosis/memory-loss-dementia-diagnosis

Corn Exchange Celebration Event

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If you fancy going to see what the area around the Corn Exchange looks like now after all the regeneration work has been done tomorrow is a good time to go:

There’s an event celebrating the launch of the Corn Exchange’s new surroundings. It’s at the Corn Exchange from 11am – 4pm and there’s a variety of entertainment, including:

May be an image of one or more people and text that says "Come and enjoy our new space- activities, music and food for all the family! CORN EXCHANGE CELEBRATION EVENT Saturday 14 May 1lam-4pm, 1lam- Leeds Corn Exchange #CelebrateCornEx"

🎵 Live music

💃 Dance performances

🎭 Street entertainers

🎨 Children’s face painting

And much more

Nearly 1,750 square metres of public realm has been created outside the Corn Exchange by upgrading two existing pedestrian areas and removing the stretch of Call Lane that runs between New Market Street and Crown Street. New seating, trees and sandstone paving are among the design features contributing to the welcoming nature of an accessible space that can be enjoyed day-to-day by shoppers, workers, local residents and visitors alike.

Local Elections Today – make sure your vote counts

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Today is the day for local elections in Leeds!

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If you opted for a postal vote, you will probably already have returned it by post, however, if not, you can hand it in at your polling station up to 10pm today (see link below to find your polling station)

If you are voting in person, polling stations are open from 7am until 10pm today so there’s plenty of time to get your vote in.

Your polling station will be on the voting card you received a while ago and you are advised to check it as the polling station might have changed.

YOU DO NOT NEED TO HAVE YOUR POLLING CARD IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO VOTE. So if you don’t have it you can still go along and cast your vote (it might make it quicker if you can take it though)

You can check where you need to go here: https://wheredoivote.co.uk/

Make Sure You Get Your £150 Energy/Council Tax Rebate

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(But check you haven’t received it twice 😊)

An error with the payments means that some people may have had this paid into their bank account twice. If this has happened to you, please make sure you leave the money untouched as the council WILL be recovering it.

LCC have said

“We are aware that a significant number (25,000) of council tax rebate payments have been duplicated, meaning some residents have received the payment twice.

“This is due to a process error where the same payment file was incorrectly processed twice after it was initially rejected by the bank. We are working with our bank to recover the duplicate payments so that the situation can be rectified as soon as possible.

“We would advise residents to check relevant accounts and bear in mind that duplicate payments will be recovered.”

“We would like to apologise for any confusion or inconvenience the duplicate payments may have caused. Our officers have worked hard to ensure residents receive the £150 rebate as quickly as possible, and 120,000 payments have been made correctly.”

Everyone who is responsible for the council tax in a property rated A-D is entitled to the £150 government payment to help with energy bills even if you don’t actually pay any Council Tax because you receive full council tax support (benefit). Unless you pay Council Tax by direct debit you will need to claim this by filling in the form at https://www.leeds.gov.uk/council-tax/%C2%A3150-council-tax-rebate. Caring Together can help members with this if needed.

If you have claimed, or pay by direct debit, and haven’t received payment yet – it is expected to take about 4 weeks to process claims. Payments for direct debit customers are staggered but should all be paid by mid May.

Light of Remembrance – Candle lit vigil walk Leeds City Centre

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Saturday April 23rd 6pm – 9pm

To bring together communities through the losses suffered during Covid-19, a short candlelit vigil walk from the Millennium Square to the Mill Hill Chapel in City Square (Leeds) on the 23rd April, 2022 between 6-9pm.

Schedule:

6pm Meet on the steps of the Civic Hall in Millennium Square where Martin House Children’s Hospice choir will be performing. Civic leaders will be attending and opening our event.

Opening Speakers: Councillor Eileen Taylor; Councillor Sharon Burke; Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung; Councillor Mohammed Iqbal; Councillor Sharon Hamilton

7pm A candle lit walk stopping at significant places to pause and reflect, en route to City Square and finally into Mill Hill Chapel

8pm We will be gathering inside the chapel until 9pm (event finishes)

There will be a musical performance from: Sarah Yaseen & Mina Salama

To see more information or to register: https://t.co/4lIW7QuV85

Light of Remembrance image

Maps to help motorists navigate Leeds city centre and find disabled parking bays

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Two online maps have been launched to help Blue Badge holders and other road users navigate around Leeds city centre as major road improvements are carried out and completed.

The disabled parking map shows the on-street locations where Blue Badge holders can park, with 111 spaces allocated across 21 different locations in the city centre. How to access the spaces and the direction of travel to them is shown on the map in blue, whilst the exit routes are shown in yellow. Everyone registered with the council as a Blue Badge holder will also receive a link to an online version of the and can request a physical copy of the map.

You can view or download the blue badge parking map here https://news.leeds.gov.uk/resources/new-disabled-routes-map-final (note you may need to download it to zoom in on different parts of the map)

New Disabled Routes Map.FINAL

The second map shows which roads have restricted access and at what times. Where there are no restrictions at any time, roads are shown in green. However, others including The Headrow, Vicar Lane and Call Lane restrict access to certain road users at specific times of the day. For example, a large section of Vicar Lane is restricted to only buses, hackney carriages and cycles between 7am – 10am and between 4pm – 7pm.  

You can view or download the current restrictions map here https://news.leeds.gov.uk/resources/current-restrictions-map-final (note you may need to download it to zoom in on different parts of the map)

Current Restrictions Map FINAL

The new restrictions will be enforced by cameras and Penalty Charge Notices will be issued for infringements. Some of the restrictions are already being enforced. Cameras for several of the new restrictions will be activated over the coming months and the public will be notified when new cameras are to be activated. All funds from this will be reinvested into making improvements to the Leeds transport network.

The maps have been created following discussions with stakeholders, to help ensure people can find their way around the city centre during the ongoing major improvements. These changes are part of the £173.5million Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme as part of Connecting Leeds, that aims to dramatically improve public transport and cycling and walking infrastructure across Leeds. It has been shaped from public consultations including the Transport Conversation in 2016, the City Centre consultation in 2018 and consultations on the Headrow and Corn Exchange improvements in 2019.

In these consultations, members of the public asked for:

  • priority for buses, pedestrians and cyclists above private vehicles
  • the retention of access routes to city centre public car parks and delivery routes for businesses
  • easy access for blue badge parking
  • bus gates to increase the reliability of buses travelling through the city centre (A ‘bus gate’ is a short section of road where access is restricted to buses, hackney carriages and pedal cycles only at certain times (as specified by the signage)).
  • enforceable and meaningful restrictions for private vehicle users
  • access maintained to important Leeds landmarks such as the first direct arena, the universities, Leeds General Infirmary, and Leeds Playhouse.

The maps will be further updated once future city centre improvement works have been delivered.

Local Elections coming up

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Make sure you get your vote

Countdown to Leeds local elections gets underway as poll cards issued: Elections FB Locations 1200x628px4

The local elections will take place 4 weeks from today on Thursday 5th May.

Poll cards are now being sent out to everyone currently registered to vote in this year’s elections for seats on Leeds City Council. Please check the details on your poll card when it arrives, and also note the location of the polling station which may have changed. For those wishing to vote in person at polling stations, all necessary Covid-19 precaution measures will be taken to ensure it can be done so safely.

If you are not registered, or if you have moved home and need to register your new address, this can be done by visiting https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. The deadline for registrations is Thursday 14 April.

Postal poll cards are also being sent to anyone currently registered to vote by post.

Anyone wishing to begin voting this way can apply to do so via https://www.leeds.gov.uk/your-council/elections/postal-voting. The deadline for new applications for postal voting is 5pm on Tuesday 19 April, but you are asked to apply as soon as possible to help manage demand.

Another option available is to vote by proxy, which can be applied for via www.leeds.gov.uk/elections. The deadline for applications to vote by proxy is 5pm on Tuesday 26 April.

The elections team can be contacted to address any issues using the helpline at 0113 222 4411 or by emailing electors@leeds.gov.uk.

£150 Council Tax Rebate to help with energy bills.

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Important: You may need to claim to get it.

Most households are eligible for a council tax rebate of £150 to help with rising energy costs.

This rebate is a one-off payment and does not have to be paid back.

To be eligible, on Friday 1 April 2022, your household must:

  • be in council tax band A, B, C or D
  • be the only or main place you live

Find out which band your property is in by checking your council tax bill or the government’s council tax band search.

If you pay your council tax by direct debit you don’t need to do anything, the £150 will be paid into your bank account by the end of April.

If you don’t pay by direct debit you will need to fill in a form to claim your rebate. This form will be available from today at leeds.gov.uk/energybillsrebate

You can choose to be paid directly, or to get £150 off this year’s council tax bill.  

To complete the form, you will need:  

  • an email address
  • your council tax account number
  • one proof of identity, such as passport, driving licence, bank statement or utility bill (this cannot be your council tax bill)
  • Bank details if you want the money paid into your bank.

If you are eligible but don’t pay any council tax because you get full council tax benefit support you will also need to claim via the form at leeds.gov.uk/energybillsrebate

If you need help to claim this you can get help at any of the councils Community Hubs from today.

You can also contact Caring Together for help to fill in the forms.

If you are not eligible for the rebate – for example if your house is in a higher band but you will be struggling to pay your bills there is some support available from a ‘discretionary fund’ and we should have more details on how you can access this soon.