Local councils offer a wide range of services, funds and support to help households across the UK. These services are designed to support people of all ages and backgrounds who need help to live, whether that be through financial or care support. For example, the local council household support fund scheme provides grants to eligible households to help pay for essential costs, like food and utility bills.
Outside of financial support, the government can also provide care support workers to help elderly or vulnerable people. This usually falls under social care, and it can include anything from providing hot meals to elderly people to clothing them and ensuring they take their medication.
In this article, we’re going to cover the different types of help that you can request through your local authority, and how to check if you are eligible.
How to Get Funding from Your Local Council
Firstly, look at the different funds available through your local authority. If you are unsure which local authority you sit under, then you can check on the GOV.UK website here.
You’ll find that a lot of different funds are available-especially for vulnerable households-but you have to meet certain criteria to be eligible for them. Again, check the GOV.UK website to find which funds are available in your area and to see whether you are eligible.
As a brief overview, there is the household support fund, the winter fuel fund, and universal credit. However, this is by no means an exhaustive list.
The household support fund was set up during the COVID pandemic to assist families struggling financially. It provides financial support to pay for essential costs, like food. Your local authority may complete a financial assessment to check your eligibility.
The winter fuel fund provides financial assistance to eligible households to help them pay for their heating costs during the winter months. It is designed to provide additional support to those who are vulnerable to the cold, like elderly people.
Universal credit provides financial support to individuals who do not have a job, are searching for a job, or have a low income. It can even be used for new businesses to help take the financial pressure off owners while they get started. Like with the household support fund, your local authority might complete a financial assessment to check your eligibility.
What Can My Local Councillor Help Me With?
Your local councillor can help you with a variety of issues, like providing housing and dealing with any complaints about the local area. Basically, if you have a local issue that must be resolved by the council, like debris blocking a road or funding for community groups, then these are things that can be dealt with by your local councillor.
What Help Can I Get from My Local Council?
You can apply for financial support to cover care costs or to support with the cost-of-living crisis. You can chase planning applications or make complaints about new developments happening in the area. Your local council are there to help you and support your community. Every local council has their own website, and their websites will tell you what help they can give.
Vulnerable households typically have more support available, with social care services on hand to help elderly or vulnerable people with day-to-day tasks, like taking medication. If you are unsure about what support is available to you, then contact your local council for advice. If your query is about a vulnerable household, then you might need to contact adult social services or the Care Quality Commission CQC instead.
A Different Kind of Support
If you are caring for an elderly or vulnerable loved one, then there is plenty of support available to you that can run alongside the support given by your local council. For example, your local authority might complete a care assessment and put a care support plan in place. However, this plan won’t cover 24/7 support, unless your loved one is in a care home.
There will be times when you or a carer are unable to visit your loved ones. In these instances, you don’t want to feel completely separated from them. This is why we have developed our Assurelink home monitoring system. It detects if a door has been left open and monitors the temperature of a home, it also allows you to see if normal movement around the home is taking place. This way, you’re never fully separated and you can care for your loved ones from a distance.
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