Our latest newsletter is here along with some inserts, lots of information and upcoming activities, events and outings
You can also see previous newsletters here
Issue-98-Winter-2022
Please be aware of energy rebate scams which are circulating. There are fake texts and emails going round which appear to be from gov.uk or from Ofgem – the energy regulator and these are asking people to click a link to register for the £400 energy rebate.
The links will go to a site that is designed to collect your personal details for the scammers. Some of these sites look very much like the real government website but they are fake – you do not need to register to get this discount, or give anyone your personal details, your energy company will be automatically applying it to your bill. They should have already been in touch to let you know how they will be doing this.
If a suspicious text message is received it can be forwarded to 7726 free of charge, and the suggestion is for it to be deleted.
Forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk
If someone suspects they have been a victim of a scam and unwittingly shared personal financial details, they should notify their bank ASAP and also report the matter to Action Fraud 0300 123 2040.
There is also the possibility that criminals may attempt to approach people via cold calling at the door, under the guise of this official support scheme. If anyone receives an unsolicited knock on the door regarding any discount scheme or refund please be vigilant.
Households will start to receive the discount from October
You do not need to apply for the discount, and there’s no need to contact your energy supplier.
The discount will be applied to your monthly household electricity bill for 6 months starting in October 2022. You’ll get:
You’ll get the discount monthly, even if you pay for your energy quarterly or use a payment card.
Traditional prepayment meter users will get equivalent vouchers that you will need to redeem.
October is Free Wills Month and a number of solicitors in Leeds are taking part this year. This is a partnership between the solicitors and a group of well known charities and means that anyone over 55 can have a simple will, including joint wills, made or updated free of charge.
The charities hope that you will make a donation or leave a gift in your will but you are not obliged to.
Go to https://freewillsmonth.org.uk/ to see which charities are involved and to find a participating solicitor and details of how to book an appointment for your free will,
Energy prices rise again on October 1st and while the government’s new price guarantee has limited that to some extent they will still be going up by over 25% for most people (unless you are on a fixed tarrif)
So, it is a good idea to give your energy company meter readings to make sure you are only being billed for what you use. If you can send in a reading for on or around 30th September this means your usage will be accurately recorded at the point of the price increase and should hopefully avoid disputes later on.
You don’t necessarily have to submit your reading on this day, most energy companies will let you send in a backdated reading for a few days after. When the prices went up in April many energy companies websites and phone lines crashed because of the volume of people trying to use them so a day or so after might be better.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/…/how-to-read-your…/
If you have a smart meter, and it is working, you don’t need to send readings in.
£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)
It will be paid into the same bank account as your benefit – you do not need to do anything it will be paid automatically.
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.
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
From today fares for single bus journeys within West Yorkshire will be capped at £2 and a day ticket will be reduced to £4.50 as part of the Mayors Fares project introduced to make public transport more affordable.
Of course this won’t affect you if you are able to travel for free with a senior or disabled bus pass but for those who don’t yet qualify for one of these, or if you need to travel before 9.30am when the pass can be used, this will be the most you now have to pay
The maximum single fare of £2 and maximum daily fare of £4.50 will apply across West Yorkshire, on all service operators, on journeys within West Yorkshire. These are not applicable to Park & Ride services, football and other events specials, or the parts of journeys that are outside West Yorkshire.
More information about this and other bus tickets here: https://wymetro.com/mayorsfares
Little London Community Centre
Thursday 1st September 2.30pm – 3.30pm
Green Doctor will be with us today to chat about fuel
bills, tariffs, winter fuel allowance and energy efficiency.
Pop in for a cuppa and join us
Friday 24th June – 5pm
Help us to help you – that’s the message from Leeds City Council to people in Leeds who have yet to make their application for a council tax rebate payment.
All households in Council Tax Band A-D have been entitled to a £150 payment as part of the Government’s response to rising energy bills.
This applies even if you do not pay council tax because of receiving full council tax support (benefit) or are exempt for another reason.
All who pay council tax by direct debit should have automatically received this payment into their bank accounts
Those who do not pay by direct debit (including those who do not pay at all) have been able to claim via an online form since 4th April. But latest figures show that around two-thirds of Leeds’s 120,000 non-direct debit households have not yet applied.
The claim form can be found here: www.leeds.gov.uk/council-tax/£150-council-tax-rebate. Staff at the council’s community hubs can help you with this process if you need it.
Also, here at Caring Together, we have been helping lots of our members to complete these applications and you can contact us if you haven’t applied yet and need some help.
Later in the year the council does plan to issue vouchers or a credit to council tax bills for those who have not received the rebate but crucially, those who proactively apply before 5pm on June 24 will get their rebate more quickly.
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.
