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Cold Weather Payment

You may be eligible for a Cold Weather Payment for each week of very cold weather in your area if you get Pension Credit or income-related Employment and Support Allowance with a support or work related activity component in the main phase.

You may also be eligible for a Cold Weather Payment for each qualifying week if you are getting Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance in the assessment phase and have one of the following.

How much do you get?

This year you will get £25 when the average temperature where you live is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below over seven consecutive days during the period from 1 November to 31 March.

How to apply

You don't need to apply; you'll get a Cold Weather Payment automatically as long as you qualify.

Tell your pension centre or Jobcentre Plus if you think you should have received a Cold Weather Payment but you have not had one.

More information is available at Directgov.

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Boost for safer streets

Making Falkirk town centre streets safer over the festive period has been boosted with £12,120 funding.

The Safer Streets Initiative, especially the successful local Taxi Marshalling Scheme, has had a positive impact on reducing the fear of crime in Falkirk Town Centre at evenings and weekends.

Over the festive period of 2008, crime in Falkirk Town centre reduced by 23% on Friday and Saturday nights according to an analysis of police-reported statistics.

The survey also showed that assaults and breaches of the peace were down by nearly 50% over the same period.

The additional funding from the Scottish Government will be targeted at the Taxi Marshalling Scheme, now in its second year.

The new funding would also allow Falkirk Council and its partners to develop and provide a safe facility, offering advice and support for people who feel vulnerable or unsafe, which will complement the initiatives already on the ground locally.

Safe Facilities already operate in Stirling and Dundee and have led to reductions in:

Earlier this year, Falkirk Council agreed to fund the ongoing provision of the Taxi Marshalls at weekends all year round.

 

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Customer Alert: Phone calls from Falkirk Council

We have been advised by a customer that someone alleging to be calling from Falkirk Council, called him, and advised him that he had overpaid his Council Tax and that we would refund the overpayment to him if he provided the caller with details of his bank account.

The call was not made by Falkirk Council and we would advise anyone who receives such a call not disclose any information about their bank account.

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Dog Fouling up Close

An image of a baby crawling towards a dog ‘poop' is the final shocking image to be unveiled as part of the Falkirk Council's Dog Fouling Billboard campaign.

The six week campaign launched in August has appeared on billboards and bus shelters throughout the Falkirk Council area and aims to persuade those dog owners who don't clean up after their pets to start copying the majority who do.

In the most serious of cases children can suffer from loss of vision as a result of coming into contact with dog fouling. With over 1600 bins available across Falkirk there is no excuse for not taking responsibility and bagging and binning dog waste.

Some Facts

Dog faeces cause a significant threat to human health through toxocariasis, an infection caused by roundworm which lives in the intestines of dogs. Toxocariasis can occur when someone (usually a child) accidentally ingests small particles of contaminated soil. Symptoms include abdominal pain, cough, and headache and in extreme cases can result in permanent vision loss.

Dog faeces left on the ground can contain harmful organisms that can be washed into the soil and into water supplies which in turn can lead to diarrhoea, intestinal problems and kidney disorders.

More information is available on the Falkirk Council Website.

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Mortgage to Rent Scheme

Falkirk Council is to join the national Mortgage to Rent Scheme which aims to help people in financial difficulty that may face losing their homes.

The scheme helps by allowing people to remain in their home by selling it to a social landlord and becoming a tenant of that landlord.

There are a number of criteria under which people are eligible to apply for Mortgage to Rent which is targeted at lower value properties, the Committee heard.

Applicants must already have taken independent financial advice about their situation and not be eligible for any UK Government Support Scheme such as  Income Support for Mortgage Interest.

The Council would receive grant for the purchase price up to the maximum allowed under the scheme, up to £6000 for repairs necessary to bring any property up to Scottish Housing Quality Standard as well as a £900 administration fee for the cost of surveying and conveyancing, from the Scottish Government.

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Swine flu advice line

A dedicated swine flu advice line has been established through NHS 24 to give information about swine flu and what to do if people have concerns. Callers to the NHS 24 number - 08454 24 24 24 - will be given the option of being put straight through to a dedicated team dealing with swine flu.

More information on Swine Flu can be found at the following website: http://www.nhs24.com/content/default.asp?page=s56

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Report a Repair Online

You can now report a repair online. Using a simple series of diagrams which to assist you, you can accurately identify and report a repair without having to call into an office.

Alternatively, repairs may be reported to your local neighbourhood office/local one stop shop or to the contact centre (01324 590590) who will prioritise the work, issue a repair instruction, and pass it to Building Maintenance.

Any emergency repairs outwith office hours can be reported through the emergency service number (01324 503050).