Derbyshire Dales District Council is keen to promote the advice and information available from a range of agencies able to assist residents affected by a rise in the cost of living.
Cost of living support
See the government's Help for Households Campaign.
Welfare and Benefits Advice
The welfare rights team can help you to find out about the benefits you may be entitled to and how to claim. You can email the team at
For more information visit Welfare benefits - Derbyshire County Council
Derbyshire Discretionary Fund
The Derbyshire Discretionary Fund can provide grants or emergency cash payments if you are in urgent need of financial help following a crisis or disaster and support you to continue to live independently or cope with exceptional pressure when you have no other source of funding.
The fund may support you to resolve your immediate difficulties and also put you in touch with other support and services so it's less likely to happen again. You can apply for the grant by telephone on 01620 533399
For more information visit Derbyshire Discretionary Fund - Derbyshire County Council
Council tax advice
If you are struggling to pay your council tax, please contact us on 01629 818222 or by email at
If your household has a low income and you haven’t claimed Council Tax Support, this could reduce the amount of your council tax bill. If you think that you might be eligible, you can call the Benefits Section on 01629 818222 (option 2) to discuss it, or you could use the online benefit calculator and electronic form to make a claim.
Household support fund
The household support fund (HSF) is available to help Derbyshire residents facing financial hardship over the coming months by providing grants and other financial support.
Housing advice
If you are worried about not being able to pay your rent this can be a big concern. Citizens Advice have information about rent arrears here - Dealing with rent arrears - Citizens Advice
Housing Benefit advice
If you pay rent you could be entitled to assistance in the form of the national Housing Benefit scheme administered on behalf of the Department for Work & Pensions by your Council. Universal Credit has largely removed entitlement for working age households but persons living in specialist supported or temporary accommodation or pensioners drawing a pension can still make an application. There are rules relating to eligibility; please contact the Benefits Section on 01629 818222 (option 2) for further advice. The same team has a number of discretionary ‘top ups’ that can be paid in tandem with the main benefit.
Pension Credit
Pension Credit gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you’re over State Pension age and on a low income. Pension Credit can also help with housing costs such as ground rent or service charges.
You might get extra help if you’re a carer, severely disabled, or responsible for a child or young person. Pension Credit is separate from your State Pension.
You can get Pension Credit even if you have other income, savings or own your own home.
Find out more on the Government website.
Legal Advice
Derbyshire Law Centre are available to provide free, confidential legal advice over issues around housing, debt, immigration, employment, and discrimination. For more information on their service please visit their website – Derbyshire Law Centre, or telephone 01246 550674.
Advisory Services
Citizens Advice can offer free, confidential, impartial, and independent advice and information on a wide range of subjects including debt, income maximisation, energy, employment, and housing problems. Visit Derbyshire Citizens Advice.
The Feeding Derbyshire Partnership aims to improve accessibility to good quality affordable food and reduce the negative impact of hunger by ensuring projects are inclusive to all and reach those who are in need.
For more information visit Feeding Derbyshire - Rural Action Derbyshire
You can find a list of food banks across Derbyshire here Foodbanks in Derbyshire.
To check if your child qualifies for free school meals please visit Free school meals – Derbyshire County Council
Energy Support
Warmer Derby and Derbyshire
If you are looking for impartial advice and practical tips on how to stay warm at home and cut your energy usage, you can call the 'Warmer Derby and Derbyshire' service free of charge. Residents can call for advice about their energy bills, how to make their homes more energy-efficient and how to apply for grants for heating systems and insulation. Just call 0800 677 1322 – there are no charges for this call. Find information about free energy grants available to eligible Derbyshire Dales residents.
Mental Health
For many people the pandemic has had an impact on their mental hearth. Feeling anxious, worried or overwhelmed is normal. The good news is that there are lots of things you can do to look after your mental health and wellbeing. The link below has lots of information and sources of support that you can access
Emotional health and wellbeing - Derbyshire County Council
Live Life Better Derbyshire (healthy lifestyles service)
Live Life Better Derbyshire is Derbyshire County Council's healthy lifestyles service that aims to help people make structured, long term changes to improve their health. This includes free support to stop smoking, lose weight and get more active.
For more information please visit the Derbyshire County Council Cost of Living page.
Warm spaces
Find out more about warm spaces in the Derbyshire Dales.
