Introduction.

From the 28th September 2020, individuals will be able to claim a payment of £500 if they are required to self isolate by the NHS Test and Trace process, cannot work from home and will lose money as a result.

Qualifying Criteria.

Applicants must satisfy the below:

• Have been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS COVID-19 app because they have tested positive for COVID-19;

Or

• Have been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS COVID-19 app because they have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive, and are not fully vaccinated;

• Are employed or self- employed

• Cannot work from home and will lose money
   

Where an individual satisfies the above criteria they will be then considered under the scheme’s 2 elements:

• Main Scheme – with the qualifying criteria being prescribed by Government

• Discretionary Scheme – whereby the Council can extend the payments to people who satisfy most of the main criteria but are not in receipt of a qualifying benefit.

Main Scheme Qualifying Criteria.

• Are currently receiving Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, income-based Employment and Support Allowance, income based Jobseekers’ Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit and/or Pension Credit.

Discretionary Scheme Qualifying Criteria.

The Council manages a Discretionary Scheme to cover people who satisfy most of the criteria of the Main Scheme, but do not receive a qualifying benefit.  A £500 payment can be made if they would suffer financial hardship as a result of the self isolation.

Individuals may be entitled to a Discretionary Test & Trace Support Payment of £500 if they:

• are not currently in receipt of Universal Credit, Working Tax Credit, Income-Based Employment and Support Allowance, Income-Based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit and/or Pension Credit; and
• are a low income worker; (see below) and
• have accessible capital of less than £6000; and
• are suffering financial hardship due to a loss of income.  The applicant will need to demonstrate that hardship.

Definition of a low income earner:

A low income worker is defined as a single person with gross earnings below £20,000 per year or a couple with combined gross earnings below £40,000 per year. 

Definition of financial hardship

Financial hardship will be classed as an inability to meet committed outgoings due to loss of income during self isolation.

Evidence Required for Test and Trace Support Payment.

The applicant will need to provide the following information via the on-line Test & Trace Support Payment Application Form

• A notification from NHS Test and Trace requiring self-isolation.
• Proof of receipt of a qualifying benefit (Main Scheme)
• The most recent bank statement for the account the support payment will be paid into.
• Recent proof of employment or self employment, evidence of self-assessment returns, trading income and proof that the business delivers services which cannot be undertaken without social contact.

Application Process.

A declaration is needed that the applicant cannot work from home due to the nature of the work and will lose income as a result of self-isolation.

Individuals wishing to make a claim for Discretionary Payments will need to complete the supplementary questions within the online form and demonstrate that they will suffer hardship. 

Individuals who are not able to claim on-line will be given appropriate telephone support.

Claims will only be accepted up to 42 days after the child or young person’s first day of self isolation.  

The Council may request such supporting evidence as it feels appropriate to substantiate that the applicant meets the qualifying criteria. 

The payment is fixed amount of £500 for each separate period of isolation.

People may qualify several times for several periods of isolation provided the isolations are entirely separate and do not overlap.

Members of the same household (including partners) may each qualify for a £500 payment simultaneously provided each meets the qualifying criteria.

Assessment and Appeals Process

Applications for the payments are managed within the Revenues and Benefits Service.  Whilst no formal appeals process exists, an applicant who is aggrieved by a decision to refuse a payment may ask for it to be reviewed by a more senior officer.

• Assessments are made by Benefit Officers and Senior Benefits Officers.
• Payments are approved by Senior and Principal Benefit Officers
• Reviews are undertaken by Principal Officers, the Benefits and Compliance Manager or Local Taxation and Benefits Manager.

Payment Process

Payments will be made by bank transfer into a verified bank account.

If you are overdrawn at the bank, you can exercise your first right of appropriation to ensure that the bank does not use the payment to pay the overdraft.  You should speak to your bank in the first instance, they may ask you to make your request in writing.

Fraud and Abuse of the Scheme.

The Council is committed to the fight against fraud in all its forms.  Appropriate checks will be made both before and after payments are made.

Any person who falsely declares their circumstances or provides a false statement or evidence in support of their application, may have committed a criminal offence.   

Where the Council suspects that such a fraud may have occurred, or a payment has been paid that is not due, the matter will be investigated and this may lead to the council re-claiming the payment and criminal proceedings being instigated, as appropriate.

Test and Trace Support Payments Parents and Guardians.

Introduction.

From the 8 March 2021, parents or guardians who are not legally required to self-isolate can apply for a payment of £500 Test and Trace Support Payment or discretionary payment if they need to take time off work to care for a child or young person, cannot work from home and will lose money as a result.

Qualifying Criteria.

Applicants must satisfy the below:

• they are the parent or guardian of a young person in the same household who is self-isolating and need to take time off work to care for them;
• they are unable to work from home and will lose income;
• the young person has:

• tested positive for COVID-19 and is aged 15 or under, or aged 25 or under with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan;

or

• (by NHS Test and Trace, their education or care setting or the NHS COVID-19 app), is aged 18-25, is not fully vaccinated and has an EHC Plan;

• the young person normally attends an education or care setting; and
• the parent or guardian meets all the other criteria for either a ‘main’ or      ‘discreitonary’ scheme.

The scheme has 2 elements

• Main Scheme – with the qualifying criteria being prescribed by Government and listed above under the section called Main Scheme Qualifying Criteria

• Discretionary Scheme – whereby the Council can extend the payments to people who satisfy most of the main criteria but are not in receipt of a qualifying benefit.  The qualifying criteria is listed above can be found under the section called Discretionary Scheme Qualifying Criteria.

Evidence Required for Test and Trace Payments Parents and Guardians.

The applicant will need to provide the following information via the on-line Test & Trace Support Payment Application Form

• the young person’s eight-digit NHS Test and Trace ID number. This will have been sent by NHS Test and Trace because the young person has tested positive or, if aged 18-25 with an EHC Plan and not fully vaccinated, because they have been identified as a contact.

Or

• a screenshot of a young person’s NHS COVID-19 App notification telling them to self-isolate. This is only for parents or guardians of young people aged 18-25 who have an EHC Plan and are not fully vaccinated.

AND

• Proof of receipt of a qualifying benefit  (main scheme)
• The most recent bank statement for the account the support payment will be paid into.
• Recent proof of employment or self employment, evidence of self-assessment returns, trading income and proof that the business delivers services which cannot be undertaken without social contact.

Application Process

A declaration is needed that the applicant cannot work from home due to the nature of the work and will lose income as a result of the child or young persons’ self-isolation.

Individuals wishing to make a claim for Discretionary Payments will need to complete the supplementary questions within the online form and demonstrate that they will suffer hardship. 

Individuals who are not able to claim on-line will be given appropriate telephone support.

Claims will only be accepted up to 42 days after the child or young person’s first day of self isolation.  

The Council may request such supporting evidence as it feels appropriate to substantiate that the applicant meets the qualifying criteria. 

Application from members of the same household

Parents and guardians who are not legally required to self-isolate can make one application per household for the child or young person’s self isolation period.

People in the same household who are applying because they are legally required to self-isolate can make an individual application to receive the payment under the Test and Trace Support Payment

Applications that overlap with another period of self-isolation.

A parent or guardian can claim more than once, provided their child or young person’s self isolation periods do not overlap.  This applies irrespective of whether the parent or guardian is claiming twice for the same child, or for two different children.

Assessment and Appeals Process

Applications for the payments are managed within the Revenues and Benefits Service.  Whilst no formal appeals process exists, an applicant who is aggrieved by a decision to refuse a payment may ask for it to be reviewed by a more senior officer.

• Assessments are made by Benefit Officers and Senior Benefits Officers.
• Payments are approved by Senior and Principal Benefit Officers
• Reviews are undertaken by Principal Officers, the Benefits and Compliance Manager or Local Taxation and Benefits Manager.

Payment Process

Payments will be made by bank transfer into a verified bank account.

If you are overdrawn at the bank, you can exercise your first right of appropriation to ensure that the bank does not use the payment to pay the overdraft.  You should speak to your bank in the first instance, they may ask you to make your request in writing.

Fraud and Abuse of the Scheme.

The Council is committed to the fight against fraud in all its forms.  Appropriate checks will be made both before and after payments are made.

Any person who falsely declares their circumstances or provides a false statement or evidence in support of their application, may have committed a criminal offence.  

Where the Council suspects that such a fraud may have occurred, or a payment has been paid that is not due, the matter will be investigated and this may lead to the council re-claiming the payment and criminal proceedings being instigated, as appropriate.

Last Updated: 17/08/2021

Having trouble expressing interest for a property?   Follow our step-by-step guide.

Step 1 – Login

Login to your Housing Online account using the email address you provided and the password you created when you registered for Housing Online.

Step 2 – Choice Based Lettings

Once you have logged in, select the Choice Based Lettings tile followed by the blue Actions button and choose List of available properties.

Step 3 – Add to basket

Browse the properties available and select the view details button next to the property that you are interested in.  At the bottom of the page, you will find the add to basket button. Click the button if you would like to express interest.

Step 4 – Basket Confirmation

Confirmation of the property being successfully added to your basket will display.  From here you can select view basket to apply for the property.

Step 5 - Apply

Last Updated: 16/08/2021

The Council Tax Service has a number of online forms to make it easier for you to provide information and to apply for exemptions and discounts.

Using the online forms will help us to improve the service that we provide to you.

Please select the relevant form from the list below:
 

• Council Tax: Moving Into the Area
   
• Council Tax: Single Person Discount Application
   
• Council Tax: Register for e-Billing

Last Updated: 13/08/2021

Simple steps to reducing your waste at home.

Reduce Food Waste – There are many ways to reduce food waste. Here are some top tips.

Planning: A little bit of planning really is the key to reducing food waste, and will help you save time, money and eat more healthily. It will also give you more room in your household waste bin. Find out why your shopping list could help to save the planet: Love Food Hate Waste.

Cooking: It’s easy to prepare too much food. Portion planning and being savvy with your leftovers can make a huge difference in helping you to waste less food. It will also give you more room in your household waste bin. Check out this article for guidelines on portioning for children.

Storage: There is a lot more to storage than just a neat looking kitchen. Storing food in the right way extends the life of your food, and helps you to stay on top of what you have got: A to Z of Food Storage.

Food Rescue: Despite the best intentions, there will still be times when we will struggle to use up food before it’s past its best. Rescue your leftovers with some handy ideas: Make the Most of your Leftovers. 

Disposal: There will always be odds and ends that can’t be used such as coffee grounds, banana skins and tea bags, but these still have goodness left to give. Composting your odds and ends is a great way to turn something old and unusable into something new and useful. Find out more about home composting here. 

Other Waste

Of cousre you can also make full use of the kerbside recycling service and  save room in your household (green bin)rubbish bin by recycling everything that you can. 
•    Plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays, metal tins, cans, empty aerosols, clean foil, glass bottles jars  and paper and cardboard in your blue wheelie bin.. 

Make room in your recycling bin  - Squashing recyclable material to make room in your recycling bin.
WASH AND SQUASH
•    Crush cans
•    Squash plastic bottles, pots, tubs and trays
•    Break cardboard down and flatten

Textiles and clothes

There is no BIN in Fashion - Donate your unwanted textiles and clothes instead of throwing them away. Check out this handy locator to find out where you can take them to be recycled and reused: What to do with Clothing and Textiles.

Last Updated: 13/08/2021

Having trouble registering? Follow our step by step guide.

Step 1 - Create your account

1. On the Housing Online 'login' page, scroll down and click on the appropriate button for you.  If you're a tenant or housing applicant but haven't used Housing Online before, you will need to select 'Existing Applicants and Tenants - Register'.  If you're a new customer, you will need to select 'New Customers - Register'.

2. You will then be directed to the registration page.  Here, you will need to type in your email address, create a password and press 'next'.  If you don’t have an email address there are many free providers to choose from including Gmail, Outlook and Yahoo.

3. You will then be prompted to check your email inbox for a verification email. You should do this straight away

Step 2 - Email verification

1. Please be sure to check your junk and spam folders just in case. In the verification email, you will find a 'complete registration' link. Either click on the link or the 'verify me' button. Please note that the link will expire after one hour.

2. After clicking on the link, you will be directed back to Housing Online to verify your details.

Step 3 - Register your details

New customers

1. On the 'Register Details' page complete the person details, contact details and address details pages. 

2. Check all the information is correct on the My Summary page.

3. Tick the box to accept the terms and conditions.

4. Click Submit.

Tenants and housing applicants

1. On the 'register details' page please select and supply either your rent reference (begins with 400) if you are a tenant, or your application reference (begins with 300) if you are a housing applicant.

2. Enter your personal details.

3. Create a memorable answer and date.

4. Tick the box to accept the terms and conditions.

5. Click Finish.

Step 4 - Success                                                                                         

Congratulations! You have successfully registered for Housing Online.

Last Updated: 13/08/2021

Many of the Council’s officers belong to professional bodies so when the chief executive of your body takes a personal interest in your work that can be incredibly uplifting.

In late April the newly appointed Chief Executive of the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH), the professional body for environmental health officers, did just that. It also helps that he lives locally in Burntwood so knows the area.

Phil James made contact with James Johnson, Senior Environmental Health Officer at Cannock Chase Council, to set up a visit. James has also been leading on the work of the Council’s Covid Support Team during the pandemic.

In Phil’s own words, in a blog he has written A grand day out - CIEH, he describes his visit and adds how meeting the team behind the Environmental Health service is now helping him to shape the priorities of the CIEH. It is fair to say he was taken aback by the scope of work undertaken and the dedication shown to serving our residents and businesses alike.

Fly tipping, animal welfare, food hygiene, health and safety in the workplace including dealing with recent fatalities, education and outreach programmes, running the public mortuary in Cannock and COVID-19, of course, as the biggest public health issue in living memory with the service helping to enforcing compliance with the restrictions and then supporting businesses to be safe coming out of lockdown, were all covered during his visit.

Many of these responsibilities feature heavily in the Council’s communications work and often draw large responses on social media sites.

This is the nature of life as an environmental health officer – never a dull day – making an important contribution to the way we live our lives, safe in the knowledge there are council officers supporting health and safety at work, when we eat out and buy our food and drink, if we want to buy that new puppy dog, or want to be spared from the ugliness of fly tipping when we are out and about.

Environmental health is a fascinating career choice. You can find out more on the CIEH website at professional development.

In addition, our local university in Wolverhampton is offering Graduate Apprenticeships for environmental health practitioners as well as a stand-alone BSc degree in Environmental Health. More details at Graduate Apprenticeships and degree course.

The Cannock Chase Council service includes two recently qualified EHOs (as environmental health officers tend to be called), both of whom took the University of Wolverhampton degree course, and who are now practising what they learnt as they embark on their careers.

Last Updated: 01/06/2021

Controls over anti-social dog ownership are set to be maintained in the District with the renewal of the existing Dog Control Order, the full text of which can be accessed here .   The Order has now been in place for three years and imposes various requirements on owners / persons in control of dog(s) in public places:

• To pick up and remove dog faeces in the event of fouling;
• To keep dogs on leads when near roads / carriageways and adjoining footpath verges within 3 metres of the highway;
• To place dogs on leads when instructed to do so by authorised officer or police officer;
• To exclude dogs from certain fenced childrens’ play areas;
• To be in control of no more than 6 (six) dogs at any one time

The provisions of the Order do not apply to a person with a disability who is accompanied by an assistance dog.
Offences are dealt with by way of Fixed Penalty Notices, with prosecution on failure to pay.
The Council now proposes to extend this Order for a further three-year period.

Any responses in relation to this proposal should be e mailed to: environmentalhealth@cannockchasedc.gov.uk . 
Please title your e-mail “Dog Control Order” .

Alternatively, responses can be addressed to:

Environmental Health
Cannock Chase Council
Civic Centre
Beecroft Road
Cannock
WS11 1BG

Please note the final date for receipt of responses is 30 May 2021.

Last Updated: 17/05/2021

An exciting new health improvement programme will be launching across the District later this summer!

Cannock Chase Can will help people to improve their health and wellbeing and will kick off with the launch of a new mobile app.

The new app will enable residents to sign up and create personal goals and individual wellness journeys. It will also provide information about healthy eating, physical activity and advice about how to make healthier lifestyle choices. It will host a variety of wellness challenges which will be developed by the community, local organisations and businesses.

It will provide our community with the tools improve their own health and wellbeing, by making it fun, focussed and easily accessible. 

Read the full press release here.

Check out our new Facebook page for the latest updates and developments in Cannock Chase Can!

How to get involved

There are several ways you can support Cannock Chase Can. Send challenges, rewards and/or offers which we can promote on this new health and wellbeing App. 

The new App will be available to download for free from Google Play and the App Store. 

Last Updated: 12/07/2021

Housing  Rent Increase 2021/22 

Frequently Asked Questions

*RENT INCREASES WERE APPLIED FROM 5TH APRIL 2021

Why are  you increasing my rent?  
We  fully  understand  that any  increase  to  your rent will  not be  good  news. A  revised rent setting policy for social landlords for the next 4 years was announced by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) on 4 October 2017, whereby increases to social housing rents will be limited to the Consumer Price Index  (CPI).  The  CPI  rate  used  will be  from  the  September  of  the  previous financial year as  set out in the  Government’s rent standard.  Therefore  rents  set  in April 2021  are  allowed  to  be increased  by  an  amount  up  to  the Consumer Price Index (CPI) set in September 2020, which was  0.5%, plus 1%. We have given the rent increase a lot of thought and we believe that in order to deliver our commitments as set out in the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan  we  need  to  maximise the  money  we  receive  from  rents and  therefore need to  apply the increase of 1.5% i.e. the  CPI  (0.5%) plus 1%. 

Do you have to increase my rent?  
No, we don’t have to increase your rent, we could leave it as it is. However, this would mean  spending  less on  our housing  stock. Within our HRA  Business Plan  for 2021/22  we  have  budgeted  for the  rent increase  from  April 2021, which means we can deliver our promises to build more new homes, improve our neighbourhoods and invest in  our existing  Council  homes. If we  keep  your rent as it is  we  simply  cannot deliver on  these  priorities and  we  would have  to  make  some  tough  choices to  either build  fewer new  homes, to  invest less in  existing  Council  homes,  or  do  less in your neighbourhoods  - and we don’t think this would be  fair. 

By how much are  you increasing my rent  and how have you calculated this?  
As explained above, your rents will increase by CPI +1%, that is 0.5% plus 1%, which equals  1.5%.  We  will write  to  you  at the  end  of  February  to  confirm  how  much your weekly rent payment will be  for 2021/22.

    
What will you spend the additional rental income on?

We  have  set out in our  HRA  Business Plan  what we  want to  achieve  over the  next 3 years.  The  additional money  we  are able to  raise  from  rents means we  are on  track to deliver these objectives. We will keep you informed regularly on how we are performing against the HRA Business Plan in the Annual Report to Tenants and Leaseholders. 

Will I see  any benefits in my home and local community?  
Absolutely, the reason we are applying the rent increase is so that you will see benefits to your  own home but also in your wider neighbourhood and estates. 

What do I do if I can’t afford the increase?   
Our priority is to support tenants to sustain their tenancies and we want to help prevent rent arrears or other debts. We have a dedicated Tenancy Sustainment Service and  Income  Management Team  working  alongside  the  local Citizens  Advice team  who  are  trained to  ensure you  have maximised  your benefits, help you manage your finances and support you through changes  to income  or circumstances.   Please  take  advantage  of  this service now  to  help you  prepare well  ahead  of the  rent increase. Your tenancy agreement states that  you pay  your rent in advance.  
 

Will I lose my home?

2020 was a difficult year for us all and ensuring you feel secure in your home is our absolute priority. We want to reassure you that no-one will lose their home as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The Income Management Team are working hard to support Cannock Chase tenants through this difficult time and are there for those affected by Coronavirus. However, your rent still needs to be paid; so, if you or your family’s ability to pay rent has been affected by Coronavirus, please contact the Income Management Team urgently on 01543 462621.  We will do all we can to help you find the best solution for your individual circumstances.

Is my rent always charged over 52 weeks?
Occasionally (about every 5 to 6 years) the rent year has 53 weeks instead of 52 weeks, to keep in line with the calendar year. When this happens, you need to calculate your monthly payment by multiplying by 53, not 52. We will warn you in advance when this occurs. 

Can I have a breakdown of how you will spend my rent? 
We commit to providing a full breakdown of how we spend your rent over the next 12 months. We will do this in our Annual Report to Tenants and Leaseholders, which we will publish on our website.

Can I have a Rent Statement? 
Currently  you  can  view  your rent statement at any  time  online  by  registering  on  the Council’s website at ‘Housing Online’. You can see the balance on each of your accounts,  along  with  the  current charge  details. If  you  wish to  see  a  full  statement, click on  the  link against the  account and  it  will  show  you  all  of  your  transactions.  If you do not have a computer, tablet, smart phone or electronic device you can contact  the  Income  Management Team  on  01543  464288  and  they  will send  you  a rent statement. 

I claim  Universal Credit,  will  I  have  to  re-apply  and will  this  result in weeks  of delays in my rent being paid and accumulating rent arrears? 
We appreciate that completing a Universal Credit claim can be very stressful and facing weeks of delays for any benefit payment is something we want to avoid. Please be assured you will not have to complete a brand new claim with the Department  for  Work  and  Pensions (DWP). Once  we  write  to  inform  you  about your new  rent you  will  simply  need  to  inform  them  of  this via the  DWP  portal (under ‘Your Journal’,  just upload  proof  of the  letter)  or  by  visiting  your local Job  Centre after the rent increase has been applied. It is important that you do this soon after 1 April 2021  as we will  then be  asked  to  verify  the  increase  on  the  Landlord portal. Please inform  the  Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in your assessment period.  

 
What if Universal Credit doesn’t cover the rent increase?  
If your Universal Credit allowance doesn’t cover the additional rent increase, we strongly  recommend  that you make  an  appointment to  see a  member  of our Income Management Team or contact Citizens Advice who can help you budget for the increase  or establish if  DWP have including your new rent in your assessment.  

I don’t claim benefits; do I have to adjust my Direct Debit mandate with my bank or will you do this automatically for me?  

You don’t need to worry, your Direct Debit will be adjusted automatically by our Income  Management Team  – you don’t have  to do anything. When we write  to  you at the end of February notifying you of your rent increase, we will tell  you this.  

I don’t pay by Direct Debit; do I have to adjust my standing order with my bank? 
You  will  need  to  work out your  new  rent payments to  change  your standing  order or your regular payments. For example how to  work out monthly rent - Week rent of £71.00 x  52  weeks = yearly rent £3,692,  divide  by 12 for  the monthly rent  = £307.67. We  strongly  recommend  that  you  contact our Income  Management Team  who can help work out how much you should be paying and when. 

Can my rent ever go down? 
It  is the  Government who  sets the  national rent formula  that Councils are required  to follow. 

What is the timescale* for this rent increase? 
The  new  rent increase  notice  letters informing  you  of  the  rent increase  will be  sent out to  you  with  a  minimum  of  one  month’s notice. We will usually aim  to  have  the letters delivered  by the beginning of March 2021. 

If  you  have  any further questions then  please contact the  Income Management Team on: 
Telephone: 01543 462621 
Email: rents@cannockchasedc.gov.uk 

Last Updated: 30/07/2021