8 November – Community News from Derbyshire County Council – household support fund, apply for a warm space grant, help with your career, Your Council Your Voice, bird flu, Making homes fit for the future

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Support for vulnerable people

If you're facing financial hardship, particularly if you have children, are on a low income, or are a pensioner, our Household Support Fund could help.

cost of living household support

Vulnerable residents will receive further help from a £5.4m extension to our Household Support Fund over winter.

The money is a major part of our support package to help people buy food, pay their energy bills and meet other essential living and housing costs to the end of March.

We'll be working with councils, community groups, charities and other local services who can identify those in need. And people will also be able to make a direct application to our Derbyshire Discretionary Fund, which helps residents facing crisis and emergency situations and operates on a direct application basis.


Apply for a warm space grant

cost of living warm space

If you’d like to set up a warm space to support people in your local community this winter you can now apply for a grant from Derbyshire County Council.

We’ve launched a £50,000 Warm Spaces Fund to support charities, voluntary and community organisations to provide a warm refuge for residents and their families struggling to heat their homes.

Organisations can apply for up to £1,000 towards the cost of opening up community venues or to extend their opening hours during the colder months.The money can be used towards things like the cost of energy bills or to provide refreshments or activities.

To qualify for a grant, organisations must pledge to offer a heated space during the winter months, provide seating, may offer refreshments such as a warm drink and a biscuit and be free of charge.

People visiting warm spaces will also be offered information to help them with cost of living support, as well as advice on looking after their mental health and well-being.

For more information about warm spaces and applying for a grant visit: www.derbyshire.gov.uk/warmspaces

If you are already running a warm space and you would like to add your details to our online directory please email grants@derbyshire.gov.uk

Meanwhile, two of the council’s own buildings have begun operating as warm spaces. They are at the Record Office, New Street, in Matlock and Buxton Museum and Art Gallery, Terrace Road, Buxton and will be open during published office hours.

The Warm Spaces Fund is part of a package of support totalling more than £780,000 being provided by Derbyshire County Council to help residents affected by the cost of living.

The council has also created a dedicated web page where people can find information and support to help them at www.derbyshire.gov.uk/costofliving


Help with your career

Looking for a job? Or wanting to change direction? Our careers service can help you with CVs, interview skills, application forms, searching for jobs as well as courses and qualifications.

job

The service can offer you impartial information, advice and guidance through a series of free workshops.

If you're 19 years and over or aged 18 and not currently in education, employment or training you'll get help for free from highly qualified career coaches.

You can contact the service in person across the county or by telephone, video call, text or email.


Last chance to have your say

You have just a few days left to tell us what you think about the council services you use, in our annual Your Council Your Voice survey.

Your Council Your Voice logo

We'd like to know what you think about the services we provide, including on how we should spend our budget.

We're asking you to list your top and bottom three priorities from a list of council services, with a chance to say why you've ranked services as high or low priority.

We also want your ideas for saving money and raising additional revenue.

The survey runs until Sunday 13 November 2022. You'll get the opportunity to enter a prize draw with one person winning £100 of shopping vouchers.

Residents can complete the main questionnaire or a shorter version which contains key questions relating to the county council, budget priorities, and living in Derbyshire.


Bird flu information

chickens

Bird flu is spreading across the country.

If you keep chickens or other captive birds, did you know that from Monday 7 November you must keep the birds housed?

You'll also need to watch them for signs of disease and maintain good biosecurity.

If you suspect bird flu report it immediately by calling the Defra Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301


Making homes fit for the future

making homes fit for the future

Private homeowners across Derbyshire are being invited to take part in a public consultation to show what support they need to make their homes more energy efficient.

Derbyshire County Council, together with the county’s eight district and borough councils, have launched the consultation to find out what local homeowners think would help them to make home improvements needed to reduce their energy use.

Steps people can take to make their homes more energy efficient range in cost and scale and can include measures such as double or triple glazing, loft insulation, solar panels and switching from a gas boiler to an air or ground source heat pump.

But while there is an initial cost to installing these measures, they can help to reduce energy bills in the long-term.

Between 20-25% of carbon emissions in Derbyshire come from housing so it’s a key area the councils want to tackle to help meet the target of becoming a net zero county by 2050.