People in Bath who are struggling financially due to the ongoing cost-of-living crisis are being reminded about the support and advice available to them over Christmas and the New Year.
Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Welfare Support Scheme remains open for applications from people who can’t afford basics, including food and energy costs.
The Welfare Support Team is available during office hours except on bank holidays and the weekend. Details of opening hours, eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found here.
Support available includes access to local foodbanks, retail vouchers for essentials, help with debt and certain household bills and items such as white goods, essential clothing and furniture.
Residents can also get help from:
- The Community Wellbeing Hub – a single point of contact to help people find the right services and support. Open Monday to Friday 9am until 5pm. Closed on 24th – 27th December, 31st Dec – 2nd Jan. Call 0300 247 0050, email [email protected] or text 07870 868368.
- Citizens Advice B&NES – open usual hours until 23rd December and from 3rd January onwards. Call 0808 278 7897 or visit https://www.citizensadvicebanes.org.uk/
- Access to Community Mental Health – a daytime phone line service run by Bath Mind helping people access the right support for them. Open 365 days a year including Christmas and bank holidays.
- Breathing Space – a mental health support evening service run by Bath Mind. Open 365 days a year including Christmas and bank holidays.
The Household Support Fund, which the local authority opened on 1st December for one-off grants of up to £300 from a share of £400,000 allocated by the Government, has now closed to new applications as it has reached capacity.
More than 1,560 applications were received, with more than 600 grants already approved and more than 920 remaining applications being reviewed in the order they were received.
This month the council’s Children’s Services department distributed more than 180 Christmas hampers containing food and gifts to families who are most in need.
These contained donations from The Salvation Army, the One Church, The Entertainer and many more organisations and individuals.
Councillor Richard Samuel, Deputy Leader and cabinet member for Resources, said: “Don’t forget that there is still help available over the Christmas and New Year period for anyone who is struggling with the cost of living or their wellbeing.
“We and our partners can put you in touch with the services you need.
“We were inundated with applications to our Household Support Fund this month and have unfortunately already exhausted the funding that was made available to us by the Government, which is a sad indictment of how challenging covering basic costs have become for many people. However, please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you need help or advice.
“I’d also like to thank our partners and other local organisations and residents for their kind donations to the Christmas hampers.
“We know families are very grateful for the support at this challenging time – one resident said that the hamper would transform her Christmas.”
