Latest news with #DarwenBoroughCouncil
Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Families can get FREE washing machines, fridges and kids' beds or £200 payments this summer – and you can apply now
We reveal below other help you can get covering the cost of white goods HELPING HAND Families can get FREE washing machines, fridges and kids' beds or £200 payments this summer – and you can apply now Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) HARD-UP families can get free washing machines, fridges and kids' beds or £200 towards the cost of energy this summer. The help comes via the Household Support Fund (HSF) - a giant £742million fund available to councils in England. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Households can get help covering the cost of white goods Credit: Getty Councils have until March 31, 2026, to allocate their share of this fund to residents in need. Support is usually offered to those on a low income, benefits or classed as vulnerable. Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council is offering thousands of hard-up households a range of help based on their needs. Some can get £200 towards the cost of gas and electricity while others can get help paying for food. Meanwhile, some can get help covering the cost of white goods such as washing machines and fridges, and single beds for children. Blackburn with Darwen Council wouldn't say how much the average price of a white good someone will receive might be. However, Which? says the average price of a fridge freezer is £800, so you could save yourself a fair amount by applying. Households requesting help with white goods must be referred to Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council by a professional. The council said this referrer might be someone from adult services, charity Age UK or children's services. You'll need to be of a limited income to apply for help through the fund. The criteria you must meet is: How to cut energy costs and get help with FOUR key household bills Single Adult in Work: Your household income must be below £26,057 (before tax and National Insurance) Two or More Adults in Work: Your household income must be below £38,870 (before tax and National Insurance) Your household savings must be under £2,000 If you're a pensioner, you can have savings up to £16,000 It's worth noting, if you've received a white goods item in the last 12 months from Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, you cannot apply for help with white goods this round. More details about the HSF scheme and how to apply are on Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council's website - Councillor Phil Riley, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "The Household Support Fund is there to support those people who are really struggling with the cost of living. "In addition to funding for a variety of things, residents can also access financial advice to help them with reducing their household outgoings and improving their income. "Anyone living in Blackburn with Darwen can apply and although there is some eligibility criteria to meet, we're keen to remind people that the Household Support Fund is open to applications from people who are in work, as well as those who are not." Household Support Fund explained Sun Savers Editor Lana Clements explains what you need to know about the Household Support Fund. If you're battling to afford energy and water bills, food or other essential items and services, the Household Support Fund can act as a vital lifeline. The financial support is a little-known way for struggling families to get extra help with the cost of living. Every council in England has been given a share of £421million cash by the government to distribute to local low income households. Each local authority chooses how to pass on the support. Some offer vouchers whereas others give direct cash payments. In many instances, the value of support is worth hundreds of pounds to individual families. Just as the support varies between councils, so does the criteria for qualifying. Many councils offer the help to households on selected benefits or they may base help on the level of household income. The key is to get in touch with your local authority to see exactly what support is on offer. The last round ran until the end of March 2025, but was extended. The most current round is running between April 2025 and March 2026. If you live outside the Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council area, it's worth checking if you qualify for help via the HSF where you live. You might be able to get free grants to cover energy bills or supermarket vouchers to spend on food. Find out what council area you fall under by visiting How else to get free white goods It's not just through the Household Support Fund you can get help with the costs of white goods. Here are some other avenues to get help. Council schemes Some councils run schemes to cover the cost of white goods. For example, Norfolk County Council has a Client Hardship Service (CHS) offering second-hand and new appliances to hard-up households. To get help you'll need to be aged 16 or older, live in Norfolk and be claiming a means-tested benefit like Universal Credit or Pension Credit. Meanwhile, Manchester City Council provides those who are resettling or moving out of temporary accommodation with basic furniture and white goods. Use the government's council locator tool, which we've shown above, to find out if your local authority offers any white good-based support and eligibility criteria. Many local councils have local assistance funds providing essential furniture and white goods too. For example, Waltham Forest Council, in London, offers struggling households vouchers to pay for essentials like bedding, household goods and furniture. You'll need to prove you don't have savings which could be used to cover the cost of these goods and must be aged 16 or over. North Yorkshire Council also offers households facing financial hardship help. Under the scheme, households can replace broken appliances free of charge, as well as access help buying food, clothing, beds and bedding. You'll need to provide proof of why you need extra support. Grants for those in specific jobs You might be able to get help covering the cost of white goods if you've worked for a specific company. One of the biggest schemes out there is the BT Benevolent Fund, which is for anyone who works at BT or has worked there before, including pensioners and dependants. You can apply for the BT Benevolent Fund on the scheme's website. Another is the Insurance Charities, which can be accessed by anyone who has worked in the insurance sector for at least five years. If a parent or primary carer has worked within the fashion and textile industry for at least one year within the past nine years, they can apply for grants to buy white goods through the Fashion and Textile Children's Trust. This includes working in a supermarket or shop with a clothes range such as Mothercare. The average amount paid is £515. Lastly, the Veteran's Charity supports those who have worked in the armed forces facing hardship. The charity can provide small and large white goods to help those battling hardship and distress. Charity grants Buttle UK is a charity for children, young people, their families, and carers offering grants worth up to £2,000. Support packages include money for essential items, including beds and cookers, and help for children's emotional, social, and educational needs. Meanwhile, Family Fund supports families raising disabled or seriously ill children. They provide grants for several things, including washing machines, bedding, and furniture. The grants are paid through specific suppliers and can be used for the total cost of new items or a discount on the cost. The exact amount given varies in each individual case. For those in England and Scotland, kitchen goods are supplied by the website AO. For those in Wales, grants are supplied by Argos, and for those in Northern Ireland, the supplier is Vision Sales. Charity Glasspool also provides grants to help people buy white goods, bedding, and items for children and babies. There are no specific eligibility requests for this charity, but it says it expects anyone applying to have already made an application for local welfare schemes. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
BBC News
10-03-2025
- General
- BBC News
'It's our duty to make Blackburn more cohesive'
People have a "duty" to work on community cohesion to help create less segregation in a Lancashire town, a former assistant police and crime commissioner has Afzal MBE said her cycling group SAS Rights, which she runs to break down segregation barriers, would not have to exist if communities across Blackburn came together in a more "organic way".She said you cannot force residents of different races and backgrounds together but added the process has to be "genuine".Her comments come after the Independent MP for Blackburn, Adnan Hussain, told BBC North West Tonight that Blackburn is a "hugely segregated" town. Some parts of the town including Higher Croft and Mill Hill are only lived in by white residents and other areas including Audley and Whalley Range are almost entirely Asian least 35% of people in Blackburn told the 2021 census they were from an Asian background. Phil Riley, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, said while the town may be "physically segregated" he believes there are plenty of examples of said one example is Ms Afzal's cycling group, which is run by women-lead club regularly meet in Witton Country Park and its leaders have said it has helped introduce hundreds of people from different backgrounds. Ms Afzal wants to create an inclusive environment for Blackburn communities and said everyone is welcome to attend. "There are women here who normally wouldn't have met someone from a different background to themselves," she said."Their day-to-day lives do not lend themselves to be going out and meeting different people."Cohesion is something we all have to work at, it shouldn't be a project but sometimes these projects can be the catalyst for more inclusion." Club member Hamida Jogee said the group has helped her and others be more comfortable with each other. She said: "Some of the ladies in our community don't actually go out of their comfort zone, so when they have joined us they have bloomed."Fellow member Ruth Watton said no conversation was out of said: "I think in this chaotic world we have to have compassion and sympathy for each other and this is where it starts." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
Yahoo
17-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Building demolition to be approved in revamp plan
Councillors are set to approve the demolition of decaying buildings behind a historic library and theatre as a part of a town centre regeneration plan. A report submitted to Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council's planning committee recommended the work, which would see the knocking down of a former electricity substation and storage facility at the back of Darwen Library. The plans also involve work to improve the 117-year-old Grade-II listed building's links to the town centre, Market Hall and Town Hall, and forms a key part of the council's planned £6.64m regeneration of the area. The report said the building's revamp would "bring about a multitude of public benefits". The local authority's executive board last week approved the scrapping of plans for a golf academy and 50 flats. The £2.5m Town Deal cash will instead be spent on the Darwen Market and Civic Quarter Development. The planned improvements to the library complex, on Knott Street, are a key part of that scheme. The demolition plans are expected to be rubber-stamped on Thursday. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas to Latest stages of work on £120m town revamp announced Town's £90m revamp will be 'life-changing' Youth centre's £3.3m upgrade approved
BBC News
17-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Blackburn with Darwen Council expected to back demolition plans
Councillors are set to approve the demolition of decaying buildings behind a historic library and theatre as a part of a town centre regeneration plan. A report submitted to Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council's planning committee recommended the work, which would see the knocking down of a former electricity substation and storage facility at the back of Darwen plans also involve work to improve the 117-year-old Grade-II listed building's links to the town centre, Market Hall and Town Hall, and forms a key part of the council's planned £6.64m regeneration of the area. The report said the building's revamp would "bring about a multitude of public benefits". The local authority's executive board last week approved the scrapping of plans for a golf academy and 50 £2.5m Town Deal cash will instead be spent on the Darwen Market and Civic Quarter planned improvements to the library complex, on Knott Street, are a key part of that demolition plans are expected to be rubber-stamped on Thursday. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas to
