Article

The council is working closely with local partner organisations to pull together all the financial related support in one place to ensure residents know what help is already available and how to access it.

The ‘help with the cost of living’ campaign webpage, www.npt.gov.uk/CostOfLivingHelp, contains information on things such as:

• the help you can get with the costs of sending your child to school; 
• how to find out what benefits you are entitled to and how to claim them; 
• childcare funding; 
• ways to reduce your energy bills; 
• council tax support; 
• and advice on how to manage your money. 

In addition to the webpage, a ‘help with the cost of living’ leaflet will be made available to those who are not online which will contain telephone numbers for each of the support services.

Plus, this autumn, the council is launching a Hardship Relief Scheme in partnership with Warm Wales, a community interest company that has more than 15 years’ experience in tackling fuel poverty. People will be able to access the scheme through Warm Wales for things such as home improvement works to ensure your home is heated efficiently and other support to help reduce your energy bills. 
 
Councillor Steve Hunt, Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council, said: “Whilst we will continue to work with our partners to explore how we can continue to support local residents, we will also continue to call on the UK Government to do more to alleviate this crisis. 

“We hope our campaign will point people in the right direction to ensure they are aware of what support is already available to them and are claiming the benefits they are entitled to. 

“In addition to this, our £2m Hardship Relief Scheme will be launching in the autumn to help those most in need but we still need intervention on a national scale. The scheme will offer support to people relating to the heating of their home and energy costs.”

To find out more about what help is available, visit www.npt.gov.uk/CostOfLivingHelp.