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Cost of Living Assistance Fund

The Cost of Living Assistance Fund is a new scheme to support residents across the borough facing financial difficulties due to the rising cost of living.

Approved by councillors in July, the new £1 million Cost of Living Assistance Fund will help households struggling to pay bills, with grants available to help pay for food and energy.

This funding is in addition to support announced by the government.

Eligibility Criteria

One-off grants will be available for up to the following amounts:

• Up to £1,000 for those on a household income of between £0 and £15,000
• Up to £500 for those on a household income of between £15,001 and £20,000
• Up to £200 for those on a household income of between £20,001 and £25,000

Save water – for free !

Did you know that South East Water provide a variety of free water saving products to residents in their water area, including shower heads, tap adaptors and even water saving gel for your plants and hanging baskets.

Reduce, Reuse, RECYCLE.

Looking for the right place to go to recycle those things that the Council don’t collect ?

See what you can recycle and where below, you’d be surprised by some of the things you can recycle !

Smart Living.

SMART LIVING is a website full of ideas from Hampshire County Council to make the most of your time, money and home… and good for the environment too!

Want to buy surplus local food at low prices ?

Too good to go aims to make sure good food gets eaten, not wasted. Every day, delicious, fresh food goes to waste at cafes, restaurants, hotels, shops and manufacturers – just because it hasn’t sold in time. The Too Good To Go app lets customers buy and collect Magic Bags of this food – at a great price – directly from businesses. Get the App now.

North Hampshire Repair Cafe

We are team of talented repairers helping recycle as much as we can

 Repair
 Reuse
 Relove

On a lower income ?

You may be eligible for the Local Energy Advice Partnership

LEAP is an energy and money saving service that is helping people keep warm during the colder months and reduce their energy bills without costing them any money.

You can apply for yourself or on behalf of somebody else. A LEAP advisor will then contact you to confirm eligibility and arrange for a home energy call. During this call, a qualified energy advisor can provide tailored energy saving advice, help with energy switching, refer you for money saving and debt advice and assess your eligibility for insulation and other larger energy efficiency measures (including replacing inefficient cookers, fridges and similar appliances) all free of charge.

There is a broad eligibility criteria, including if you are receiving various Government Benefits, Allowances and Credits or have an annual household income below £31,000.

Energy efficiency loans and grants

A range of different Local Authority and Government loan and grant schemes are available to help improve the energy efficiency of homes across Basingstoke and Deane. These include support for insulation, heating systems and double glazing. An overview of each of these including their eligibility criteria is available from Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council.

What can all of us do to improve our home’s energy efficiency?

For most of us, our homes are the biggest source of CO2 emissions and the biggest place we can both help save the planet and save ourselves money. By filling in this simple questionnaire you can get tailored advice that will help you improve the energy efficiency of your home and save you money.

Want to know what to do with leftover food?

Food is something that unites. It’s something that is lovingly grown and nurtured for months before it arrives in our shops. It’s a social activity, a comfort, an essential, and a luxury.

And yet in UK households we waste 6.5 million tonnes of it every year, 4.5 million of which is edible, all stuff which could have been transformed into something delicious.

Those 4.5 million tonnes are enough to fill 38 million wheelie bins, or 90 Royal Albert Halls. If that’s not enough, the average family of four can save just over £60 per month by reducing their food waste. So why not start now ?

How big is your environmental footprint?

Our world is in crisis – from climate change to the pollution in our oceans and devastation of our forests. It’s up to all of us to fix it. How we live our lives makes a difference. Take your first step with this WWF UK based environmental footprint calculator.