Salford City Council’s Winter Support Payment has already made a real difference to 1,806 households in the city.
This is approximately 64% of those entitled to the support since the letters landed in late November.
Feedback on the £361,200 paid out to date has been overwhelmingly positive with people saying how easy it was to make the claim, how great it is to see Salford giving back to those in need and that they were now able to turn on the heating.
Eligible individuals who have not yet claimed their payment are encouraged to do so as soon as possible.
Launched last month, this cash support scheme is designed to help people of pensionable age on low incomes with their fuel bills this winter. Approximately 3,000 Salford households receive support under the Council Tax Reduction (CTR) scheme for pensioners but are not in receipt of pension credits. They have all been sent a letter with a unique code which is required to claim their one-off payment of £200.
The council’s approach to ensuring everyone eligible gets their payment includes calling customers to encourage them to claim. Liaising with customers by phone and in person about this payment has also provided the opportunity to advise them on other ways in which the council can help. To date, this has resulted in 481 enquiring about Salford Assist, the council’s scheme offering short term support to those in crisis and 179 referrals to our digital inclusion team.
City Mayor of Salford, Paul Dennett, said: “We’re proud of our decision as a Mayoral Team to create and deliver a local scheme to support vulnerable older residents. It’s already proving to be a lifeline for those struggling with the increased costs of heating and many could not afford to stay warm this winter without our help.
“Salford is seen as a leader in placing poverty prevention and reduction at the heart of everything we do as a city and I’m immensely proud of all that we’ve achieved to support the most in need.”
Councillor Tracy Kelly, Statutory Deputy City Mayor and Lead Member for Housing and Anti-Poverty, said: “It’s really heartening to hear about the difference our scheme is making which has also highlighted further help available to residents from other council services. We’ve also invested in supporting pensioners to apply for Pension Credit so this scheme enhances other initiatives which tackle poverty and inequality across the city.”
The winter support scheme uses funding from the council’s Cost of Living Investment fund and links to existing wider support available through the Household Support Fund, Salford Assist and Welfare Rights and Debt Advice team.
All residents of state pension age are urged to check if they can apply for Pension Credit as any amount can allow people to receive other benefits. These include the government’s Winter Fuel Payment (which must be applied for before 21 December), warm homes discount, free TV licence if aged over 75 and more housing benefit and council tax reduction.
For more information about Pension Credit, visit www.salford.gov.uk/pensioncredits
For more information about Salford’s Winter Support Payment, visit www.salford.gov.uk/wintersupportpayment
Press and media enquiries
