
Money, food and energy advice and information funded by the British Gas Energy Trust

Advice and support with energy and money (Easy Reads)
This advice tool is full of useful information to help you manage your household bills and living costs with tips on how to save money.
Most of the information in this section is provided in
Easy Read
Easy Read is a way of making written information easier to understand. Pictures are usually added next to the writing.
format.
Remember if you need to talk to somebody you can contact the
Learning Disability
A learning disability is to do with the way someone's brain works. It makes it harder for someone to learn, understand or do things.
helpline for more information and support:
- Phone: 0808 808 1111
- Email: Helpline@mencap.org.uk
How to use this advice tool (Easy Read)
We have made Easy Read instructions on how to use this tool to find the things you want to know about.
Read the instructionsWhat would you like to know about?

The Priority Services Register
Ask to be added to the free Priorities Services Register - a list that energy and water companies use to make sure they offer help to people who need it.
Free Mencap advice webinars
Trying to meet the cost of household bills for things like energy and food can become hard.
Find out about the support offered by our specialist energy and money advisors by enrolling on one of our FREE webinars.

What to do if you can’t afford to pay
If you can’t afford to pay for food or your energy bills, we have specialist advisers who can give you
guidance
Guidance means being given clear instructions to be able to do something well.
.

Help with food
Food banks can give people food in an emergency and sometimes share fuel vouchers to help pay for gas and electricity. The Citizens Advice have information on how to use a food bank.
You usually need a referral to use a food bank.

Additional pages for advice and support with money, food and energy
News about money, food and energy
What can I do to make a difference?
You could become a Mencap e-campaigner to make a difference - why not register today?
Alternatively, if you have a story to share about, do let us know. We want to share your experiences to help people understand what things are like for people with a learning disability.
If you pay charges for care in your own home, your
council
A council is also called a
local authority
A local authority is also called a council. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live like schools,
social care
Social care means the services that give care and support to people who need it.
(support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
. They are a group of people who make decisions about some of the things in the area where you live. These include: schools, social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
should check that you have enough money to live on.
If you think that there are costs that were not looked at when your income was checked, you can ask for your council to look again.
Contact the Mencap Helpline for more information.
The Government
The Government are the people who run the country. They decide how much
tax
Tax is the money that pays for things like schools, hospitals and the police. There are different types of taxes like
income tax
Income tax is the money that is taken out of the money you earn every month. It helps to pay for things we all need like hospitals and schools.
,
VAT
VAT is also called Value Added Tax. VAT is the extra money you pay when you buy things. The money goes to the government to pay for things like schools and hospitals.
and
council tax
Council Tax is the money that people pay to the council. It helps to pay for things like social care (support for people), parks and dustbin collection.
.
people should pay for things and how things like the National Health Service should work.
has made money available to local councils to support people with their bills. This is called the ‘Household Support Grant’.
Contact the Mencap Helpline to see if there is any help for you.
The energy price cap is about how much energy companies can charge for gas and electricity.
The amount you'll pay depends on how much gas and electricity you use.
You don’t need to do anything. The Energy Price Guarantee automatically applies to all types of energy tariffs.
No.
Many people with a learning disability who get social care support from their council have to pay money in charges towards their care.
The government has said that people get to keep all of the cost of living payments and councils cannot take the payments into account for social care charges.