MANY PEOPLE COULD BE MISSING OUT!
With the cost of living on the rise and prices for basic commodities increasing at a significant rate, many people are struggling to pay their Council Tax bills or their rent.
Many people might be entitled to extra money to help them meet these costs, wtihout even realising it!
Claim It! - It's your right, not a lottery
Claim It! is a countywide campaign, with the 5 district or borough Councils of Warwickshire working together with the Warwickshire Welfare Rights Advice Service to let people know whether they can get help with their rent or Council Tax bills.
The campaign offers people FREE and CONFIDENTIAL advice on whether they can get extra cash to help them. The extra cash is called Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit.
What is Council Tax Benefit?
Council Tax Benefit helps to reduce the amount of Council Tax that you have to pay. You can get it if you are liable to pay Council Tax and your income is low enough. It does not matter whether you own a property or rent it, and you can get it even if you are working.
If you qualify, the payment is made directly to your Council Tax account to reduce your bill. You could get the whole of your Council Tax paid by Council Tax Benefit or some of it, depending on your circumstances.
Council Tax Reductions:
There are also other ways of reducing your Council Tax bill whatever your income and savings.
What is Housing Benefit?
Housing Benefit is paid to help you meet the cost of your rent. It can be paid in addition to other social security benefits or Tax Credits, or just by itself. It is paid if your income is low enough, even if you are in full-time work.
You could get all of your rent paid by Housing Benefit or part of it, depending on your circumstances.
The campaign to date:
The campaign has been running since April 2007. Working with many service providers throughout the county, it has helped to make a real difference to many people's lives. Up and down the county, we have been helping hundreds of people - old and young - to claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
Over £200,000 extra Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit has been claimed so far! In one promotion alone, we helped 40 people claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
As well as Housing Benefit an Council Tax Benefit, we have made people aware of other benefits they are entitled to, and have 'signposted' them to other organisations for other types of help.
The campaign has identified potential Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit claimants in many ways:
Some simple examples of people whom we have identified as being entitled to help:
Below are some simple examples of people whom we have identified as being entitled to some help. They are intended to simply illustrate some of the types of people who might be entitled. The range of people who might be entitled is great: from people of working age to pensioners, from people who are responsbile for children to people who live alone, and from people in work and claiming Tax Credits to people who are unemployed.
Client A is under 60, working 20 hours per week and bringing home a low income of £110.50 per week. His savings are under £6000. His weekly rent is £75. His weekly Council Tax bill (after 25% single person's discount) is £16.73.
He is entitled to £45.75 per week Housing Benefit and £7.73 Council Tax Benefit per week.
Client B and his wife are both over 65. They both receive State Retirement Pension and they both receive occupational pensions. Their total income is £207 per week. Their savings are £59,500. They own their own property but they are liable to £29 Council Tax per week.
They are entitled to £9.30 per week Council Tax Benefit.
Client C lives with his wife and 2 children, and his father-in-law. His father-in-law suffers from Alzheimer's disease and receives the higher rate of Attendance Allowance. His wife cares for her father. Client D and his wife's income is too high for him to qualify for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit. However, because of his family's circumstances. Client D recieved a 25% discount from his Council Tax bill, saving £375 over the financial year.
How to find out whether you are entitled:
If you think that there might be a chance that you are entitled to either benefit, then you can contact WWRAS to ask that they check this out for you. WWRAS encourage people to do this. You have nothing to lose and could be missing out on a significant amount of extra help.
You can contact WWRAS by completing a coupon (Click Here for the coupon) and sending it to their FREEPOST address - no stamp is required. WWRAS will then contact you to discuss whether you can get this extra money.
Alternatively you can ask the Housing and Council Tax Benefit department at your local Council for a claim form.
This campaign is funded by: Rugby Borough Council, Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council, Warwick District Council, North Warwickshire Borough Council and Stratford-on-Avon District Council.
With the cost of living on the rise and prices for basic commodities increasing at a significant rate, many people are struggling to pay their Council Tax bills or their rent.
Many people might be entitled to extra money to help them meet these costs, wtihout even realising it!
Claim It! - It's your right, not a lottery
Claim It! is a countywide campaign, with the 5 district or borough Councils of Warwickshire working together with the Warwickshire Welfare Rights Advice Service to let people know whether they can get help with their rent or Council Tax bills.
The campaign offers people FREE and CONFIDENTIAL advice on whether they can get extra cash to help them. The extra cash is called Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit.
What is Council Tax Benefit?
Council Tax Benefit helps to reduce the amount of Council Tax that you have to pay. You can get it if you are liable to pay Council Tax and your income is low enough. It does not matter whether you own a property or rent it, and you can get it even if you are working.
If you qualify, the payment is made directly to your Council Tax account to reduce your bill. You could get the whole of your Council Tax paid by Council Tax Benefit or some of it, depending on your circumstances.
Council Tax Reductions:
There are also other ways of reducing your Council Tax bill whatever your income and savings.
What is Housing Benefit?
Housing Benefit is paid to help you meet the cost of your rent. It can be paid in addition to other social security benefits or Tax Credits, or just by itself. It is paid if your income is low enough, even if you are in full-time work.
You could get all of your rent paid by Housing Benefit or part of it, depending on your circumstances.
The campaign to date:
The campaign has been running since April 2007. Working with many service providers throughout the county, it has helped to make a real difference to many people's lives. Up and down the county, we have been helping hundreds of people - old and young - to claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
Over £200,000 extra Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit has been claimed so far! In one promotion alone, we helped 40 people claim Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
As well as Housing Benefit an Council Tax Benefit, we have made people aware of other benefits they are entitled to, and have 'signposted' them to other organisations for other types of help.
The campaign has identified potential Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit claimants in many ways:
We have distributed thousands of bookmarks across the county to schools and businesses, advertising Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit to parents and employees.
We have held surgeries in staff canteens at Asda in Leamington Spa and Tescos in Bedworth.
We have held surgeries at Guideposts, a support-service for carers in Nuneaton.
We have been involved in many working partnerships such as the Rugby Compact Service and Rugby CVS.
We have attended Roadshows throughout North Warwickshire.
We have held surgeries in local libraries throughout Warwickshire.
We have attended many forums - for example, disiablity and old age pensioner forums - to give informal talks and information on Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
We are now working with many faith groups and community organisations.
Doing mailshots to those paying Council Tax who are not getting any benefits
Some simple examples of people whom we have identified as being entitled to help:
Below are some simple examples of people whom we have identified as being entitled to some help. They are intended to simply illustrate some of the types of people who might be entitled. The range of people who might be entitled is great: from people of working age to pensioners, from people who are responsbile for children to people who live alone, and from people in work and claiming Tax Credits to people who are unemployed.
Client A is under 60, working 20 hours per week and bringing home a low income of £110.50 per week. His savings are under £6000. His weekly rent is £75. His weekly Council Tax bill (after 25% single person's discount) is £16.73.
He is entitled to £45.75 per week Housing Benefit and £7.73 Council Tax Benefit per week.
Client B and his wife are both over 65. They both receive State Retirement Pension and they both receive occupational pensions. Their total income is £207 per week. Their savings are £59,500. They own their own property but they are liable to £29 Council Tax per week.
They are entitled to £9.30 per week Council Tax Benefit.
Client C lives with his wife and 2 children, and his father-in-law. His father-in-law suffers from Alzheimer's disease and receives the higher rate of Attendance Allowance. His wife cares for her father. Client D and his wife's income is too high for him to qualify for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit. However, because of his family's circumstances. Client D recieved a 25% discount from his Council Tax bill, saving £375 over the financial year.
How to find out whether you are entitled:
If you think that there might be a chance that you are entitled to either benefit, then you can contact WWRAS to ask that they check this out for you. WWRAS encourage people to do this. You have nothing to lose and could be missing out on a significant amount of extra help.
You can contact WWRAS by completing a coupon (Click Here for the coupon) and sending it to their FREEPOST address - no stamp is required. WWRAS will then contact you to discuss whether you can get this extra money.
Alternatively you can ask the Housing and Council Tax Benefit department at your local Council for a claim form.
This campaign is funded by: Rugby Borough Council, Nuneaton & Bedworth Borough Council, Warwick District Council, North Warwickshire Borough Council and Stratford-on-Avon District Council.