Help and advice during the recession

Help and advice during the recession

The council is determined to help residents and businesses through these difficult times. Here is some useful information to help you deal with the recession.

General advice

Direct Gov    Credit Crunch information
provides easy access to the public services you use and the information you need, delivered by the UK government.

Citizens' Advice Bureau 
online service provides independent advice on your rights.

Advice Now 
an independent, not-for-profit website providing accurate information on rights and legal issues.

Advice UK  
the largest UK network of advice-providing organisations.

Real Help Now  
from HM Government

NHS Stressline  
Information and a helpline to help anyone distressed by the effects of the recession.

What is the council doing to help?

Council tax bills - H&F council is the only local authority in the country to have cut council tax for the third year running. At a time when residents are finding it difficult to make ends meet, our top priority is to reduce the tax burden. We have cut bills by three per cent in each of the last three years. This represents a saving of £175 compared to the average bills rise across London during this period.
Having trouble paying your council tax?
Benefits, exemptions, help with paying - including an online benefits calculator.

Cutting waste - We have reduced waste and bureaucracy at the town hall, made better use of technology to reduce our costs, moved staff into fewer buildings and market-tested services to ensure they are cost-effective. We are cutting council debt by £20 million, saving taxpayers £1.7 million a year in borrowing costs.

More money for police, parks and schools - While cutting our costs, we have also improved services. We are pumping millions of pounds of extra cash into:
• putting more Bobbies on the beat to keep you safe and cut crime
• rejuvenating our parks
• radically reshaping secondary schools to provide parents with more choice for their children.

Free swimming - All our leisure centres are providing free swimming for the over-60s.

Neighbourhood investment - We want to build on the benefits, such as new transport links and affordable homes, that the Westfield shopping centre development has brought to the borough. This means we are in talks with other major developers wanting to build in the borough about the benefits we could secure for local people. We are particularly keen to explore the refurbishment or rebuilding of council estates to boost the quality of our tenants’ and leaseholders’ neighbourhoods.

Jobs - Helping people find work and making sure they have the skills needed is a top priority.

Business advice and support – Local businesses are important to us. They are the backbone of the local economy and many residents depend on them for their livelihoods. Read more on support available for businesses.

How the council is supporting local businesses through the recession

Prompt payment - We are ensuring that, where we buy goods and services locally, we pay bills promptly. Applying procurement technology solutions including eProcurement, eInvoicing and eTendering, means we can make faster and more efficient payments to businesses, and make it easier for SMEs to tender for council business.

Shop grants - We have provided shops around Shepherds Bush with half a million pounds of grants.

Parking - We have reduced parking charges around the Askew Road shopping parade to help encourage more drop-in shopping.

Shopping guides - We are in the process of producing a series of shopping guides to encourage local people to use their local shops and businesses.

I love Fulham - We have set up a new loyalty card in Fulham, giving residents discounts in local shops.