Many of you over a particular age will have been badly affected by the ending of the Winter Fuel Payment this year.
I was both disgusted and disappointed that the government decided to remove this payment the way they did, and I do understand how this will really impact many older people on low incomes.
As Leader of the Council, I wanted to help as much as possible and as quickly as we could.
Thanks to the Household Support Fund (operated by the Council), you may now be eligible for a payment of up to £300 if you’ve missed out on the winter fuel payment.
If you’re a pensioner receiving council tax support—but not pension credit—and you’ve had your fuel payment cut, we’ll be writing to you soon to tell you what you’ll be getting.
If you’re in a household with one or more people aged 80 or over, you’ll receive £300. If no one in the household is 80 or over, your household will receive £200.
This means that more than 1,000 households across the Bay will benefit from this additional support. I appreciate this will not help everyone who has missed out this year, but it is designed to help those who are in greatest need.
This scheme is just one way we’re using our Household Support Fund to help residents.
We received £1.2 million towards this fund, and we’re targeting the people who need it most—low-income households, including families with children, pensioners, unpaid carers, and care leavers and disabled people, larger families, single-person households, and those struggling with one-off financial shocks or unforeseen events.
We’ll also be working closely with our partners to offer help for individuals in financial hardship, and there will be council tax support too.
We’re ensuring 6,000 working-age households who qualified for the working-age council tax reduction on 1 October 2024 get extra assistance. There’s no need to apply for this; we’ll write to you if you’re eligible.
This week, I also want to focus a little more on our commitment to carers. If you have found yourself caring for a relative or friend, there is a lot of support available to you, and as a carer, you have a range of rights that you may not be aware of.
Saturday, November 23, is Carers’ Rights Day, and we will be shining a light on what is available to carers.
This year there is a special event taking place in the Paignton Community Hub (Library) from 10am to 2pm.
This will include family-friendly activities as well as people and organisations available to provide advice, support and information. I understand there will also be free refreshments available.
At the event, you’ll be able to learn about what your rights at work are or the support that is available for you if you find the one you are caring for is in hospital.
You will also be able to find out about carers’ health and wellbeing checks and learn about some of the deals and discounts that, as a career, you are entitled to. For example, did you know that unpaid carers who are registered with Torbay Carers can get free hospital parking if they’re accompanying the person they care for?
To show our commitment to carers, we have waived our £10 joining fee for our new My Bay scheme.
Our My Bay resident card entitles holders to discounts and offers with many Torbay businesses, plus free access to public toilets and a parking permit for an extra hour of free parking.
To make sure you are aware of what you can get to help you as a carer, make sure you sign up to Torbay Carers. You can do this by emailing signposts@nhs.net or by calling 01803 666620.
Finally, I want to say thank you to those of you who have signed up to receive a My Bay card. Our early bird sign-up has now closed, and just under 1,400 of you have applied. along with 90+ businesses who will be providing you with an offer when you show your card.
If you didn’t get to sign up, don’t worry; there will be another opportunity in January 2025.
