Welfare Benefits Advice and Fuel Poverty

My name is Claire Roberts and I am one of the Welfare Benefits Advisors at Bridgend Carers Centre.

We also have Paul working as another Welfare Benefits Advisor  at Bridgend Carers Centre.

The service has been in operation for just over 8 years and has proved to be a very well utilised service by unpaid carers across Bridgend County Borough.

During this time, an amazing £5 million has been claimed for carers and the person they care for. This highlights the problems that carers have in enforcing their rights and is a reminder of how unwieldy and complicated the benefit system is.

We can advise and assist on all aspects of welfare rights including form-filling; checking benefit entitlement; challenging decisions and advising on appeal procedures.

We can help you claim for Carers Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Personal Independence Payments, Disability Living Allowance forms and reviews, Pension Credit checks and help reduce your council tax, if applicable.

We explore every opportunity to maximise income into your home.  We also provide energy efficiency advice, help with bills, keep you Gas Safe, issue you free Carbon Monoxide Alarms and register you on the Priority Services Register.

We can also help with Financial Grants and work alongside our Financial Wellbeing Officer to further support you.

Referrals can be made to Paul or Claire by phoning Bridgend Carers Centre on 01656 658479, you can leave a message and they will return your call as soon as possible.

Please note that requests for assistance in form-filling /challenging decisions / appeal procedures have an average waiting time of 4 weeks as we are so busy. We are unable to represent claimants at appeal hearings.