 Free home improvements to lower energy costs
If you live in an off-gas property, and rely on fuels including oil, coal or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for heating, then you may be able to get free support to make your home more energy efficient.
The new Home Upgrade Grant (HUG2) is aimed at helping lower income households, living in energy inefficient homes, to improve their property to help make it greener and cheaper to heat.
Improvements would vary depending on the individual property but could include things like insulation upgrades, solar panels, solar hot water and air source heat pumps.
Criteria to apply are:
- Your home is not heated by a gas main (your heatings comes from oil, coal or LPG)
- Your home is energy inefficient (EPC rating of D, E, F or G)
- Household income of less than £31,000 or you are receiving an income-related means tested benefit such as Universal Credit
If you think you’re eligible, apply using the button below or call 0800 107 8883.
If you’re not eligible for this scheme, check the Government’s energy grants page for other schemes to help lower your energy costs.
 Cut your Council Tax costs
You could claim a Council Tax Reduction if you have a lower income and small or no savings. This means you could pay less Council Tax. Here’s what you could save:
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Discount
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Qualifying characteristics
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Single-person household income
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Couple with no children income
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Family with one child income
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Family with more than one child income
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78 percent
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In receipt of passported benefits
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£553.24
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£746.93
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£857.52
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£1,161.85
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60 per cent
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N/A
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£553.28 - £774.61
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£746.94 - £968.23
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£857.57 - £1078.90
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£1161.9 - £1383.15
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40 per cent
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N/A
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£774.62 - £1051.21
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£968.24 - £1244.83
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£1078.91 - £1355.54
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£1383.16 - £1715.12
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20 per cent
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N/A
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£1051.22 - £1383.15
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£1244.84 - £1576.80
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£1355.55 - £1687.43
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£1715.13 - £1991.72
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No discount
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N/A
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More than £1383.16
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More than £1576.81
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More than £1687.44
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More than £1991.73
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If you prefer to look at earnings weekly, you can check eligibility criteria by weekly earnings on our website.
There are eligibility criteria for reductions, but some income from certain benefits does not count towards claims. Full details are on our website.
When completing an application, you’ll need your:
- National Insurance number
- Proof of income and any benefits for your household
- Proof of ID
- Your Council Tax Account number.
Use the button below to visit the webpage and then select ‘make a claim’ to get started.
 Local help with local banking services
Boom Community Bank helps hundreds of residents across Berkshire.
It’s a credit union, which is a not-for-profit financial provider that helps people access services such as loans, debt consolidation, savings, and current accounts. This includes:
Watch a video about Boom and find out more about its services on our website.
 Shape our future housing strategies
Housing plays a huge role in the health, environmental, social and economic well-being of everyone who lives in the borough.
It is more than just bricks and mortar - everyone is affected by housing. So we need your help to shape our plans for it in the future.
You've got until Sunday (18 February) to respond to our consultations on:
 Free, personalised maths training
We’ve got new, free maths training available for residents.
You start with a group meeting with a tutor who will give an overview of how the training works.
You’ll then get access to the learning platform which uses AI to show you more of the learning you need and less of the areas you’ve got a good understanding of.
Learning can be done at your own pace at times that suit you. And you’ll have access to our team throughout, as well as a follow up session.
We may be able to offer additional support, such as a British Sign Language interpreter or one-to-one support, so don’t let that be a barrier for signing up.
To find out more or to register, visit the course directory page.
We also have a monthly newsletter, bringing you all the latest adult education courses direct to your inbox. You can read the latest edition or sign up for future editions.
 How affordable is the school day?
We’re working with First Days Children’s Charity to support schools to ensure being a pupil or student in our borough is affordable for everyone.
Parents of primary and secondary school are being asked to take this short survey to help us with this work. It will take less than five minutes to fill in.
 Roots Community Store opens its doors
Wokingham Borough’s first community pantry has opened its doors.
Roots Community Store has been set up to run from Norreys Church in Wokingham to help residents with food.
The membership-based store is being jointly established and run by SHARE Wokingham, Wokingham Foodbank and First Days Children’s Charity.
The seed funding of £32,000 to set the store up was provided by us through our Hardship Fund.
Roots will offer low cost food, including fresh fruit and vegetables, to prevent customers from needing to access emergency food provision, support healthy food choices and keep people healthy more generally.
It’s currently being trialled by 50 households as it gets up and running. We'll provide more when it opens more widely in the months ahead.
Reminder – support options for you
Here’s some options can use right now if you're struggling or need support:
Or you can see your options guide, depending on your situation:
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