Council Hwbs help Carmarthenshire residents claim over £7.5m in support payments

Carmarthenshire County Council wants to make sure that all its residents are aware of the financial help and household support that is available to them.

We understand how difficult it is when you need support, but don’t know where to turn. Carmarthenshire County Council has a dedicated team of advisers who are here to listen and help you apply for the support, services and money you may be entitled to.

During the last 18 months, the Council’s dedicated team of Hwb advisors have helped 5,745 residents, who have been referred to its service, to claim over £7.5m in support and benefit payments. Hwb advisors have supported applications for a range of council and third-party support schemes, including blue badges for disabled parking, council tax discounts, personal independence payments (PIP) and grants to help parents purchase school essentials, such as school uniforms.

There are 4 ways of accessing this support.

Online - by visiting the council’s Claim What’s Yours Page where you can access information on a wide range of support schemes or arrange to speak with an adviser.

Visit one of our Hwb Centres – located at Carmarthen, Llanelli and Ammanford and speak with one of our friendly Hwb advisers.

Hwb Bach y Wlad - As an extension of the three main Hwb centres, Hwb Bach y Wlad brings Carmarthenshire County Council’s customer services directly to rural areas.

Phone our Contact Centre – Customers can raise a Claim What’s Yours Referral by phoning 01267 234567, Monday - Friday, 8:30am - 6:00pm.

In addition to supporting residents who are referred to our Hwb advisors, we have also accommodated almost 90,000 visits, from people seeking advice, at our three main Hwbs and Hwb Bach y Wlad surgeries and focused events.

Amongst the residents our Hwb advisors have helped are Mrs H and Mr S (not their real names).

Mrs H

Mrs H is now £800 a month better off after seeking advice from our Hwb advisors. A single mother of three children, Mrs H is a homeowner who is in receipt of ESA, PIP and child benefit payments. Mrs H visited a Hwb centre to speak with an advisor as she was struggling to pay her household bills.

During her meeting with a Hwb advisor, Mrs H was made aware that she was eligible for council tax reduction and was backdated 3 months of payments. She was also made eligible for a single person discount and received a refund of £1200, awarded universal credit, an enhanced rate of PIP, a blue badge, free school meals for her children and a uniform grant of £200.

Mr S

Mr S visited one of our Hwbs having recently suffered a stroke and was reliant on a friend to help him apply for universal credit. Due to their lack of knowledge in completing the relevant forms, Mr S was deemed fit for work. A Hwb advisor was able to help Mr S to successfully apply for a discretionary housing payment, which cleared £600 in arrears. A temporary council tax reduction was recalculated, and a council tax reduction for severe mental impairment cleared his council tax debt of £1,440. Mr S was awarded a blue badge, a disabled bus pass and received an extra £400 every 4 weeks after his capacity to work was reassessed. He was also awarded an enhanced PIP rate of £184 per week.

Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr. Linda Evans said:

“The cost of living is a very real pressure on many of us and it is incredibly important that people know what support and benefits are available to them.

“Many will find the process of applying for support daunting and overwhelming, but help is at hand via the County Council’s Hwb advisors at Llanelli, Ammanford and Carmarthen. Our Hwb advisors can take you through the different processes of applying for support and benefits, free of charge.

“Our three main Hwbs and the Hwb Bach y Wlad rural service work with over 50 partner organisations in order to provide a wraparound approach to deliver an exceptional holistic service to our customers.”

To access help from a Hwb adviser or for more information about how to access support, benefits and services, visit the Claim What’s Yours page on Carmarthenshire County Council’s website.