Help with the Cost-of-Living this Winter

On 20 September the Government announced that millions of UK households will shortly get a Cost of Living Payment of £300. The payment will be made to eligible customers between 31 October and 19 November.

This is the second of three payments over the financial year totalling up to £900. Eligible pensioner households will also receive a further £300 payment later this year as an addition to the Winter Fuel payment.

Eligible tax credits-only customers, who do not qualify for a payment from DWP will receive £300 from HMRC between 10 and 19 November.

Customers will receive the payments automatically. They do not need to contact DWP or do anything to receive the payment.

From 20 November, people who have become retrospectively entitled, or think they should have had a Cost of Living Payment but have not received one, can report it via GOV.UK. If the person is not able to use the internet or they do not know someone who can help them, they can report a missing payment via their benefit telephony line.

Read more information about the Cost of Living Payments at GOV.UK.

We don't want to see any of our customers struggling, so through our Support Fund, we have provided help to those of you that need it with food parcels, fuel, phone top-ups, energy credit and more.

If you're struggling, and you need help from our Support Fund, you can refer yourself by contacting:

• tenancysupport@freebridge.org.uk
• 03332 404 444 and ask to speak to our Tenancy Support Team

Who doesn't love a good deal? We’ve come across a great option that promises to give many Freebridge customers a sizeable saving on important services.

With that in mind, did you know that you could be eligible for cheaper broadband and phone packages?

Seeing if you’re able to access the cheapest services providers can offer, dubbed the social tariff, is a top tip from us at Freebridge – as it could provide you with a major monthly saving.

If you’re claiming Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support (some providers might include additional benefits, like Personal Independence Payment and Attendance Allowance, too) then you have access to social tariffs. Although some providers call them ‘essential’ or ‘basic’, these services are delivered in the same way as normal packages, just at a lower price. Ofcom is encouraging companies to offer social tariffs to help support customers on low incomes – and using it could help you in the following ways:

• It’s cheaper than a regular package, with current prices ranging from £10-20 per month

• It offers fast and unlimited broadband, keeping you in touch with family and friends and allowing you to stream media effectively

• There are minimal set-up costs and it would cost you nothing to switch if your provider offers a social tariff

• Prices won’t go up mid-contract and it costs nothing to leave early

Current providers include BT, EE, SMARTY, Community Fibre, NOW, Sky, Virgin Media, KCOM, Hyperoptic, G Network and VOXI.

Ofcom also says that it is urging TalkTalk and O2 to introduce social tariffs in the broadband and mobile markets respectively.

If this sounds like something you could be interested in, you can apply for most tariffs online. Your first port of call should be to check if your current provider offers a social tariff. If they don’t offer one, don’t worry! They could let you switch without a fee.

It’s also important to understand that the person receiving the benefit needs to be the main person on the contract before you begin this process.

You can visit the Ofcom page by heading here for more information and if you’d like to switch your broadband provider, you can visit Switching broadband provider - Ofcom for a helpful guide.

If you are interested in this but require more advice, you can always call us on 0333 240 4444 and we’ll do our best to support you.