Boost to low low income families in north Norfolk
PEOPLE in the Wells and Fakenham area will be among 1,000 low-income families and pensioners in North Norfolk who will be better off thanks to changes to the national benefits system.
PEOPLE in the Wells and Fakenham area will be among 1,000 low-income families and pensioners in North Norfolk who will be better off thanks to changes to the national benefits system.
From now on, families will not have their child benefit counted as income when their council tax and/or housing benefit is calculated.
This means a benefit claimant with one child will receive as much as �17 a week extra - and bigger families more than that, say officials.
At the same time, pensioners claiming council tax and housing benefit could receive up to �6.80 extra a week because they can now have up to �10,000 in savings - up from �6,000 - before they start seeing a cut in benefits.
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The upper limit for savings and capital is unchanged at �16,000, so pensioners with more than that do not qualify for benefits to help meet the cost of their council tax and rent.
In both cases, some people who did not qualify for hous-ing and council tax benefit may find that they now do so because of the changes.
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Also, pensioners' capital may have been hit by the recession and now be worth less than the �16,000 upper limit. They may discover
that they qualify as well.
North Norfolk District Coun-cil says its benefits team has been checking existing claim-ants' details, so those people do not have to do anything to receive the extra money.
It has also contacted people who have applied unsucc-essfully for benefits recently and who might now qualify.
Other people are being urged to check their finances in case they are entitled to claim money.
To find out more visit www.quickcalc.co.uk/north-norfolk, call the council benefits team on 01263 516349 or visit its offices in Oak Street, Fakenham.
