 Live 4 Less is a newsletter from Hull City Council filled with tips and ideas to help your money go further.
Across the city many people are facing hard times as they struggle to meet the rising cost of living. This newsletter aims to highlight the many innovative projects Hull City Council and our partners are working on to help you live for less.
I hope you will find this newsletter interesting and useful. If you would like to see something featured or to offer us feedback, please let us know. To contribute please contact live4less@hullcc.gov.uk.
Councillor John Hewitt
Portfolio Holder for neighbourhoods and Communities
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 Hull People’s Premium is a friendly way to receive money saving ideas and tips to reduce your household spending. On joining you will receive texts about money saving ideas and details on products that aim to help make your money go further or reduce household expenditure.
Because it is local to Hull it also provides information about relevant services and events that are available across the city.
To start receiving tips and start saving money, the easiest way to join is by texting HPP to 60999.
Texts to Hull People’s Premium are charged at your standard network rate but it is free to receive texts. Please include your age and postcode (optional). You can also fill in a referral slip and hand it into a Hull City Council Customer Service Centre or Hull Advice, 2nd Floor of the Wilson Centre, Alfred Gelder Street.
You can leave Hull’s People Premium at any time and your details will remain confidential and will never be shared with third parties.
Your data will only be used by Hull People’s Premium to help us provide you with relevant information about goods and services from our partners. Hull City Council will store and use your personal information in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
Text HPP to 60999 to start saving money today.
 Get growing with Green Prosperity
If you’ve ever wanted to learn more about growing your own fruit and veg contact Green Prosperity. Working with the East Hull Community Farm, it’s a unique opportunity for practical support and advice. From plant care, to sowing, growing and harvesting, there’s a range of projects and activities to get involved in.
With free courses, events and volunteering opportunities you too could enjoy the good life.
For more information like facebook.com/GreenPHull, call 01482 782 400 or follow @Green_Prosperity on twitter for the latest information on free courses and events.
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Groundwork Hull are aiming to start a food growing revolution in Hull. They are looking for volunteers to help others gain the skills and confidence to grow their own food. However, if you are not green fingered then donations of unwanted garden tools and seeds would be very welcome.
To find out more contact groundwork on 01482 216 188 or email hull@groundwork.org.uk
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 Hull City Centre gets its first edible garden this summer. Based in the flower beds opposite Marks & Spencer on Alfred Gelder Street it will feature a host of free summer produce.
With artichokes, beans, beetroot, broccoli, carrots, chard, chicory, kohlrabi, lettuce and sprouts being planted in early summer the bed will be maintained by Hull City Council. In the later summer, when the vegetables are ready, they will be free to pick and for anyone to take home and enjoy.
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 The latest round of Energy Switch has just been completed. Energy Switch is Hull City Council’s collective energy switching scheme, which offers domestic customers the opportunity to save money on their gas and electricity bills.
Collective energy switching involves taking large numbers of people to the energy market and running a ‘reverse auction’ with energy companies. Around 200 people from Hull took part in the last auction. Hull City Council is working in partnership with 14 other Local Authorities, nationally, to create greater buying power and negotiate lower prices.
Previous auctions have seen around 16,000 people participating from across the country, with savings typically resulting in £150 a year, per household. It’s a completely free service and you are under no obligation to change suppliers. You register your details and after the auction is held you will find out how much you could save over a year, based on your usage of energy.
To sign up and register your interest for the next round, please visit www.hullcc.gov.uk/energyswitch
For more information contact David Shepherdson on 01482 248 254 or email david.shepherdson2@hullcc.gov.uk
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 'Cafe Max' is a new innovative drop in project for young people in East Hull aged 14+, to help them become more resilient to daily life challenges and develop life skills.
Learn how to cook on a budget with the opportunity to try simple, low cost recipes and free food. Come along and find out more including; advice on benefits, job searches, CV writing and interview skills - all in a relaxed, informal cafe environment.
Sessions will be held on:
Wednesdays - Taboo, Holderness Road, 3-5pm
Fridays - The Hut, Preston Road, 1.30-3.30pm
For more information, call the Maxlife Team on 01482 781 333, or maxlife@kingstonwesley.karoo.co.uk.
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 Christians Against Poverty (CAP) Debt Centre
When CAP opened its new debt centre in Hull in November 2013 it quickly became very popular, helping a large number of people.
The service is free of charge and includes such innovative and in-depth options, such as visiting people in their own homes, handling creditor negotiations, offering a simple ‘one-payment’ system and providing ongoing support until users are debt free.
“I felt so different, even after the first visit, as if a weight had been lifted off me. There is still a long way to go, but I know that with CAP’s help I am going to get this sorted out.”
CAP urge anyone who is facing debt to get in touch to make an appointment. You will not be judged and admitting you need help is the first step towards a debt free future.
Call 0800 328 0006 to make an appointment, which may be a few weeks away but you will receive help over the telephone immediately.
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 If you have a bike, you can enjoy a free day out on Sunday 17 August. Get ready for an unforgettable day of traffic-free bike riding around some of the city’s most iconic landmarks. It doesn’t matter how old you are, how old your bike is, or how fast you ride – at Sky Ride Hull there’s something for everyone.
Many of Hull’s city centre streets will be closed to traffic as thousands of people descend on the city to celebrate cycling at Sky Ride Hull.
Join this celebration of cycling and ride on traffic-free streets around the city centre, starting at Queen Victoria Square. With a real festival atmosphere, Sky Ride Hull is a fun, free day out for the whole family, with loads to do both on and off a bike.
Everyone who registers for Sky Ride is entitled to a free bike safety check at Halfords, worth £14.99. Plus the first 1,000 people to register will receive a free limited edition gift on the day of the event.
To register for Sky Ride Hull and find out more about getting into cycling visit - http://www.goskyride.com/Hull or www.hullcc.gov.uk.
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Across Hull, more and more families and people are feeling the strain on their outgoings. As food and bills rise it becomes harder and harder to make ends meet.
Through this newsletter Hull City Council will work with partners to share the innovative ways in which Hull is working together to make your money go further.
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"My money saving tip is to plan out family meals for the week, usually on a Sunday night. Since I started doing this I’ve wasted much less food and I’ve saved time shopping and preparing."
"My money saving tip is to shop at a local market for fruit and veg. I only buy what I need and I’m not tempted by supermarket special offers."
"My money saving tip is make sure I replace light bulbs with energy saving bulbs."
"My money saving tip is draw the curtains on colder nights in all of the rooms in the house. It stops heat escaping and the house is warmer but cheaper to heat."
If you've got a money saving tip you want to share please send to live4less@hullcc.gov.uk.
From October 2013 to Spring 2014 the Government’s flagship ‘Universal Credit’ continues its rollout to a further pilot six jobcentres across England, Scotland and Wales. ‘Universal Credit’ will combine several working age benefits.
Get free internet access at any Hull City Council library or the Wilson Centre
General advice
Hull City Council
01482 300 300
www.hullcc.gov.uk/
Hull Advice
The Wilson Centre, Alfred Gelder Street, Hull
01482 300 303
Citizens Advice Bureau
08444 111 444
www.adviceguide.org.uk
Money Saving Expert
www.moneysavingexpert.com
Benefits
Benefits GOV.UK
www.gov.uk/browse/benefits
Debt and Money Management
Money Advice Service
0300 500 5000
www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk
Citizens’ Advice Bureau
08444 111 444
www.adviceguide.org.uk
Step Change (CCCS)
0800 138 1111
www.stepchange.org
National Debtline
0808 808 400
www.nationaldebtline.co.uk/
Turn2us
www.turn2us.org.uk
Debt Advice Foundation
0800 043 4050
www.debtadvicefoundation.org
Credit
Hull & East Yorkshire Credit Union
01482 778 753
www.hullandeycu.co.uk
Smarterbuys
www.smarterbuys.org.uk
Talk about debt
www.talkaboutdebt.co.uk
Housing
Lets Help You
https://hull.letshelpyou.co.uk/lets/
Hull City Council
01482 300 300
www.hullcc.gov.uk/housing
Hull Churches Home from Hospital Service (Vulnerable & older people
01482 447 673
www.hchfh.wordpress.com
Doorstep of Hull
01482 345 006
www.doorstep.org.uk
Energy
How to change your gas and electricity provider
www.ofgem.gov.uk
Energy Saving Tips
0300 123 1234
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
Hull Warm Zone
01482 612 908
www.warmzones.co.uk/the-zones/hull
Older People Services
Age UK
01482 324 644
www.ageuk.org.uk
Hull Veterans Support Centre
www.hullveteranssupportcentre.org.uk
Befrienders team – Goodwin
01482 342 294
ehealth@goodwin-centre.org
http://goodwintrust.org/
First Stop
0800 377 7070 (from mobiles/overseas +44 203 519 6002) info@firststopadvice.org.uk
www.firststopcareadvice.org.uk
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