Other help you can get

If you get Housing Benefit or Council Tax support, you might be able to get other help or grants too.

Free vet care

If you have pets you can receive free veterinary care from PDSA. To qualify you need to live in an area that is covered by a PDSA PetAid hospital or branch.

The PDSA can only register pets that are companion animals kept in the home or in a hutch. Each family is only allowed to register three pets.

To register your pet for free veterinary care, take your benefit award letter and proof of your identity to your nearest PetAid hospital.

For more information visit the PDSA website.

Sport and leisure

Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) manages the council's sports facilities. You can join the sport facilities as a concessionary member. Concessionary membership allows unlimited access to the sport facilities in the borough during off peak times.

Concessionary membership at a reduced rate is available only to borough residents who are in receipt of:

Income support, Housing benefit, Council Tax Benefit, job seeker's allowance (income based), incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance.

It is also available to senior citizens (60+ years) or full time students living or studying in the borough.

Where junior concessionary memberships are available a junior dependent of any of these is applicable. Off-peak only.

For more information about concessionary membership, visit the GLL website or see page 10 of the Barnet brochure.

TV licence

The cost of a TV licence can be difficult for some people on a low income to pay. TV licenses are free for those aged 75 and over.

If you have to pay for a TV licence, you can opt to pay yearly, monthly, fortnightly or weekly. You can make payment by card, direct debit or cash or cheque and the TV licence Authority have savings. 

For more information about this scheme, visit the TV Licensing Authority.

Water charges

If you have a water meter but your family uses a lot of water your bill will be high. You may be able to get help with your bill by asking the water company to set your bill for the year.

For more information about this scheme, visit the Defra website.

Gas and electricity

You can reduce your gas and electricity bill by making your home a more energy-efficient place. There are a number of grants that you can apply for. These include the warm front grants which can help you pay for new boiler or central heating systems. For more information on warm front grants, click on the link to the Eaga group website.

You can also contact the Energy Savings Trust to see if you can get any grants from them.

Funeral payments

It is a very difficult time when someone close to you dies. The cost of arranging a funeral can also put a lot of stress on the money you have. You may be able to claim for a grant from the Department of Works and Pensions to help with the costs.

For more information visit Funeral Payments at the Directgov website.