How a Beat Your Bills session saved one couple £2000 a year

Events run by the Borough Council have been helping local people during tough economic times.

At the King's Lynn event in October the couple who saved £2,000 a year spoke to advisors and discovered they were eligible to claim council tax support. Working with DWP the council completed an application form for them, which included backdating their payments. Within two days their application had been processed and they were awarded full support from the end of July 2023, which generated a refund of overpaid council tax of around £500 and in future they will save around £2,000 per year.

Cllr Jo Rust, the council’s cabinet member for people and communities, said: “This success story gets to the heart of what Beat Your Bills is about. Rises in the cost of living affect us all and for some, can lead to difficult choices about staying warm or eating well.

“No one should have to make these choices and we feel it’s a great success when we can help people to reduce their outgoings, boost their income, eat healthily and generally stay well."

Other people have been helped with debt advice, making their homes more energy efficient, eating healthily on a budget (and with limited cooking facilities) and maximising their income.

The next event is on Monday 27 November in Hunstanton at the Town Hall Hub.

After that the events are as follows:

Downham Market – Tuesday 19 December (Town Hall)

King’s Lynn – Tuesday 23 January (The Place)

Hunstanton – Tuesday 27 February (Town Hall Hub)

Downham Market – Tuesday 26 March (Town Hall)

All events run from 10am-2pm.

“We would encourage anyone who might benefit from talking to someone about their bills to come to one of our events to see how much they can save.” Cllr Rust added.