Cost of living support
The cost of living is rising, and it’s having an impact on many households across the borough.
Support is available to help residents manage their finance.
Cost of Living Payments
You may be able to get a payment from the Government to help with the cost of living if you’re getting certain benefits or tax credits.
If you’re eligible, you’ll be paid automatically in the same way you usually get your benefit or tax credits.
You could get up to three different types of payment depending on your circumstances.
Find out more about Cost of Living Payments on the Government website.
Find out how you can access support from the council and other organisations:
Chesterfield Borough Council Benefits advice
Our benefits advisor can answer your questions about benefits, help you complete forms and ensure you are claiming the money you are entitled to.
Call: 01246 345345
Email: benefits@chesterfield.gov.uk
Derbyshire County Council Welfare Rights
Providing answers to your questions about benefits, helping you complete forms, ensuring you are claiming the money you are entitled to and can help challenge decisions or support appeals.
Call: 01629 531535
Email: welfarebenefits@derbyshire.gov.uk
Provides free, confidential, impartial and independent advice and information on a wide range of subjects. Including debt worries, benefits claims, housing and employment problems.
Free advice helpline call: 0808 278 7843
Derbyshire Unemployed Workers Centre
Provides free, independent and confidential advice on benefit and credit entitlements. Can also support the completion of application forms and can help challenge decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions, right through to tribunal if necessary.
Call: 01246 231441
Email: info@duwc.org.uk
Bus fare price cap
The price of a single ticket is just £2 on selected routes until December 2024.
Find out more on Gov.uk.
The Council Tax Support Scheme is a local scheme that provides support to people on low income by reducing the amount of Council Tax they are liable to pay. In addition, the council also has a Discretionary Council Tax Scheme which supports those who are suffering exceptional hardship. The reduction is at the council’s discretion and is only granted in very exceptional circumstances.
Find out more about the support available from Derbyshire County Council.
Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are extra payments that can help towards housing costs.
The payments are awarded at the discretion of the local authority and residents can only get it if they are entitled to Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.
DHPs are available for those who are not receiving enough income to cover their rent; it can also be awarded for one-off costs such as a rent deposit or removal costs to move into a new home.
As the local authority, we administer the DHP scheme for Chesterfield residents.
A safe, welcoming, supportive place for any man, woman or child affected by domestic abuse. Providing the advice, support and tools you may need to change your situation; where you will feel empowered to take back control of your life.
Call: 0800 019 8668
If it's an emergency, call 999.
Text: 07534 617252
Derbyshire County Council Libraries
Provides free online courses around digital skills. You can also book the use of a library computer.
Call: 01629 533444
Email: ask.library@derbyshire.gov.uk
Derbyshire National Careers Service
Provides free and impartial information, advice and guidance about career opportunities, learning and employment to any Derbyshire residents aged 19 years and over and to those aged 18 who are not currently in education, employment or training.
Currently running an in-person access session at Chesterfield Library on Tuesday mornings. Wendy Leigh is the advisor for Chesterfield and Staveley.
Call: 07717 303855
The Derbyshire Discretionary Fund can provide grants or emergency cash payments for people who are in urgent need of financial help following a crisis or disaster.
The fund may be able to help during an emergency or crisis situation and to support people to continue to live independently or cope with exceptional pressure when they have no other source of funding.
Provides resources to enable job-searchers to find work, can help identify training programmes and employment benefits.
Job Centre Plus: 0800 055 6688
Textphone: 0800 023 4888
Universal Credit helpline: 0800 328 5644
Textphone: 0800 328 1344
Derbyshire Disability Employment Service
Supporting disabled people to find training, work experience, voluntary work and paid employment.
Call: 01629 532440
Email: disabilityemploymentservice@derbyshire.gov.uk
Provide free legal advice and assistance on all debt matters, housing and employment to the residents of Derbyshire.
Call: 01246 550674
Freephone: 0800 707 6990
Text: 07781 482826
Textphone for deaf people: 18001 01246 550674
Email: dlc@derbyshirelawcentre.org.uk
Derbyshire Unemployed Workers Centre
Provides free, independent and confidential advice on benefit and credit entitlements. Can also support the completion of application forms and can help challenge decisions made by the Department for Work and Pensions, right through to tribunal if necessary.
Call: 01246 231441
Email: info@duwc.org.uk
Provides home energy advice, including advice on available grants, tariffs and on debts, for Derbyshire residents.
Call: 0800 677 1332
Email: wdd@mea.org.uk
Provides free, confidential, impartial and independent advice and information on a wide range of subjects. Including debt worries, benefits claims, housing and employment problems.
Free Advice Helpline call: 0808 278 7843
Chesterfield Food Bank
Food Bank covering Chesterfield - referred through Job Centre Plus, Pathways, Citizens Advice, Probations, Derbyshire Recovery Partnership.
Call: 07984 589456 or Citizens Advice: 0808 278 7843
|
Foodbank Centre |
Day |
Session Times |
Location / Address |
|
St Michael and All Angels Parish Hall |
Monday |
12 noon to 2pm |
Church Street, Brimington, S43 1JG |
|
African Caribbean Community Association |
Monday |
5pm to 6.30pm |
Unit 2, Penmore Business Centre, Hasland, S41 0SJ |
|
The Compass |
Tuesday |
1pm to 3pm |
West Bars, Town Centre, S40 1AZ |
|
The Saints Parish Centre Café |
Wednesday |
12 noon to 2pm |
3 St Mary's Gate, Chesterfield S41 7TD |
|
St Barnabas Church |
Thursday |
12 noon to 2pm |
Albert Road, New Whittington S43 2BH |
|
Loundsley Green Community Centre |
Friday |
1pm to 3pm |
Cuttholme Road, S40 4QU |
Visit the website for more information on foodbanks.
A new scheme offering free transport to a variety of routine health appointments, including vaccination appointments and some screening programmes, is now up and running in Derbyshire.
The Grab a Cab project is running until 31 March 2023. The offer is open to all ages and is not means tested so you do not need to be receiving benefits to be eligible.
Chesterfield Borough Council Tenancy Support
We work with our tenants to provide support that will help you keep your home, including dealing with debt created through rent arrears.
Call: 01246 345068
Text: 07960 910264
Email: tenancy.sustainment.referrals@chesterfield.gov.uk
Tenancy management: 01246 345071
Tenancy Sustainment: 01246 345345
Chesterfield Borough Council Homelessness Prevention Team
We can offer help to prevent and relieve homelessness.
Call: 01246 345825
Out of hours call: 0808 169 2333
Chesterfield Borough Council Housing
Our housing team can help find you council housing, repair your council housing and support you with rent arrears.
Call: 01246 345345
Text: 07960 910264
Repairs Hotline: 0800 587 5659
Providing housing support and benefits advice in order to prevent homelessness and eradicate rough sleeping.
Call: 01246 498204
Provide free legal advice and assistance on all debt matters, housing and employment to the residents of Derbyshire.
Call 01246 550674 / Freephone 0800 707 6990 Text: 07781 482826
Textphone for deaf people: 18001 01246 550674
Email: dlc@derbyshirelawcentre.org.uk
Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Providing a free mental health support line, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Freephone: 0800 028 0077
Derbyshire Recovery and Peer Support Service
Supporting people who are having difficulties with their mental health across the whole spectrum of mental illnesses.
Call: 01773 734989
Email: derbyshirerecoverypeersupportservice@rethink.org
Offering a safe place for you to talk any time you like, in your own way – about whatever is getting to you.
Freephone: 116 123
Email: jo@samaritans.org (response time 24 hours)
Provides free, confidential, impartial and independent advice and information on a wide range of subjects. Including debt worries, benefits claims, housing and employment problems.
Free Advice Helpline call: 0808 278 7843
Provide free legal advice and assistance on all debt matters to the residents of Derbyshire.
Call: 01246 550674
Freephone: 0800 707 6990
Text: 07781 482826
Textphone for deaf people: 18001 01246 550674
Email: dlc@derbyshirelawcentre.org.uk
Provides grants or emergency cash payments if you are in urgent need of financial help following a crisis or disaster.
Phone: 01629 533399
The household support fund (HSF) is available to help Derbyshire residents facing financial hardship over the coming months by providing grants and other financial support.
Phone: 01629 533399
Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire Credit Union
Your local community bank, providing savings, loans and money management advice.
Call 01246 278833
Email: webmail@cnedcu.co.uk
CAP (Christians against poverty)
Providing free debt advice and counselling.
Phone: 0800 328 0006
If you’re over State Pension age and on a low income, you could benefit from Pension Credit - find out more on the Government website.
The Royal British Legion has launched a cost of living grants programme that is designed to assist people who need help in a quick and easy way with everyday essentials such as kitchen appliances, clothes, and energy costs.
To qualify for this support, you need to have served / or currently be serving in The Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, or be a member of their immediate family.
Links: Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire Council for Voluntary Service and Action (Links CVS) provides support to voluntary organisations and community groups
operating in Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire.
Their support includes:
- everything involved in starting a group such as creating a constitution
- establishing roles and responsibilities to registering as a charity
Winter is on its way and, along with the Chesterfield Health and Wellbeing Partnership and a range of local statutory and voluntary partner organisations, we want to support our communities in keeping warm and in good health over the colder months.
Working with partner agencies, anyone living in our borough can now visit a range of ‘warm spaces’ around Chesterfield where you can meet other people in a free, warm and welcoming environment.
Many of the venues are offering refreshments, as well as a few other activities (depending on the venue) that you could join in with if you wanted to as well.
Each of the spaces are free to attend (with a small selection of paid activities) and everyone is welcome to drop in.
Find warm space venues on Google Maps.
Severn Trent’s Big Difference scheme can offer a reduction of water bills to any of their customers with a household income below £18,278.
Households with child dependants may be eligible for an additional income allowance in excess of this amount.
Learn more about the Big Difference scheme on the Severn Trent website.