Warm Front Grants
Free Energency Efficiency!!
I have spent a very interesting day at a Local Authority arranged presentation about Warm Front Grants, which to be honest until today, I knew very little about. I thought I would post brief details on here as it could be applicable to a lot of disabled people in the Police Service, or their families.
The scheme is a government funded scheme which provides grants to make disabled peoples homes 'warmer, healthier and more energy efficient'. It can provide grants of upto £2,700 (to home owners and private tenants - not local authority tenants) to fit for example Central Heating where none exists, Loft insulation, Draught proofing, Cavity Wall Insulation, tank lagging etc. If you need oil central heating then the grant can be as much as £4,000.
I initially thought it was 'means tested' or for those on a low income, however it is not, and is open to people who claim any of the folowing disability benefits:
Disability Living Allowance (either Component)
Attendance Allowance
War Disablement Pension (with either WPMS or Constant Attendance Allowance)
Industrial Injuries Benefit (with Constant Attendance Allowance)
Working Tax Credit (with income of less than £15,60 and a disability element)
Child Tax Credit (with income of less than £15,460)
Income Support (which includes a disability premium)
Housing Benefit (with a disability premium)
Council Tax Benefit (with a disability premium)
or if you are over 60 and receiving either CTB,HB,Income Based JSA, or Pension Credit.
There are further grounds for claiming if you have a child under 16 or are pregnant and claim either Income support, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit, Income Based JSA or Pension Credit.
I know of quite a few disabled people who I work with who will be eligible either on the DLA or War Pension with WPMS grounds, so it may be worth pointing people the 'Direct Gov' website that has all the details:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/Bfsl1/BenefitsAndFinancialSupport/BenefitsAndFinancialSupportArticles/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=10018661&chk=MjGOPK
I thought initially there was going to be some form of catch, but having today put myself through the 'system' I have a visit by a surveyor the week after next re getting gas Central Heating installed in my house (They estimate the grant fully covers approximately 93% of households to get Central Heating and draught proofing, loft insulation etc installed with nothing else to pay!). Only about 7% of cases have to pay a small 'top up' to the grant, usually dependant on the size of house or how far away people live to a gas main etc).
This only applies in England. Scotland and Wales have similar grants.
Category: General
Posted: Nov 24, 2006
