 New grant round open if you need cost of living help
The new round of the Household Support Fund is now open for applications to get residents money to help with the cost of:
- Food
- Energy
- Bills
- Other essentials
If you have a child who receives means-tested free school meals, you apply to First Days Children's Charity for Holiday Food Vouchers.
This is £20 per week, per eligible child. You do not need to reapply if you’ve received this support before from First Days.
If you’ve previously been awarded a one-off grant you can now apply again if you need help. You could be given for £70 or £140 depending on your situation.
You can apply to Citizens Advice Wokingham or Age UK Berkshire. Select the button below to start your application.
 Help with savings, loans and debt
A credit union is a not-for-profit financial provider that helps people access services such as loans, debt consolidation, savings and current accounts. It is:
- Run by members to benefit communities rather than to make a profit
- Able to help those turned away by other providers
Your local credit union - Boom Community Bank
Wokingham Borough’s credit union is Boom Community Bank.
Membership is free for people who live or work in the borough. You automatically become a member when you access any of their services.
Some benefits of becoming a member are:
- Help to save regularly
- Access to affordable loans
- Support managing finances
 Save money on your Council Tax
If your household’s monthly take home income is less than £2,125, you could be entitled to a discount on your Council Tax, depending on your situation.
You can claim a Council Tax Reduction if you have a lower income and small or no savings.
These are new eligibility criteria for reductions for 2024/25. See how much of a discount you could get on our website.
Some income from certain benefits does not count towards claims so you may be eligible if you take home slightly more than this. Press the button below and select 'make a new claim' to get started.
 Free school meals and getting money for schools
Across the UK more than 10 per cent of pupils who are eligible for free school meals are not registered to get them.
We want to make sure 100 per cent of our pupils claim when they can in Wokingham Borough.
Importantly, it also means schools can get additional funding to support pupils.
To qualify, your child must be in school and you must be receiving one of the following benefits:
If this applies to you but your child isn’t registered for free school meals, complete a form and return it to your child's school.
Download the form and apply for Free School Meals on our website.
 Weekly low cost uniform sale now running
First Days Children’s Charity is now holding weekly opening hours for its low cost school uniform shop.
It will run every Thursday from 3pm to 6pm at the Elevate Centre in Wokingham, off Denmark Street (RG40 2AZ).
We’re working alongside the charity to help all students be able to get high-quality items at a reasonable price. Wokingham Lions Club is supporting the charity to open the shop each week, all are welcome.
Cost of living help options
Here are the most-used pages from our cost of living help hub since the start of 2024:
Or you can follow a guide for your situation:
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