News Release

Sedgemoor District Council                                                                    Corporate Relations Manager:  Claire Faun

Bridgwater House                                                                                                                  Direct Dial:  01278 435320

King Square, Bridgwater

Somerset, TA6 3AR                                                                                        e-mail: [email protected]

General Enquiries:   0300 303 7800                                                                                 twitter.com/SedgemoorDC

Date:  07 February, 2023

0% loan to help people living in off-gas properties spread the cost of heating their home

The current energy crisis is having an effect on everyone, coupled with the rising cost of living.   Living without mains gas can be expensive. For those who are buying home heating fuel in bulk, a council-funded loan may be an alternative solution to spread the cost.

Sedgemoor District Council work in partnership with Lendology CIC, a Social Enterprise lender, to provide council funded 0% Bulk Buy Fuel loans to homeowners, social tenants, and private tenants to spread the cost over the winter months.  Passionate about tackling fuel poverty, they provide finance to a wide range of people, including those who may not be able to use mainstream finance providers.

The loan can be used to purchase oil, gas, wood or other bulk-buy fuel sources and is repayable over six to twelve months.  Lendology encourage residents to save alongside the loan where possible to create resilience in paying for the next bulk purchase and to use local bulk-buy schemes to save money.

News Release

Don’t lose your voice – residents in Sedgemoor urged to look out for their voter registration details

Local residents are being warned not to lose their voice on decisions that affect them by making sure their electoral registration details are up to date.

The annual canvass ensures that Sedgemoor District Council can keep the electoral register up to date, identifying any residents who are not registered so that they can be encouraged to do so.  People who have moved recently are particularly encouraged to look out for the voter registration messages and check the details.

The Council is legally required to undertake this ‘Annual Canvass’ of all of the residential properties in the area, to ensure Sedgemoor’s Electoral Register is correct. This year the canvass is taking place during a challenging public health situation, but Council staff are confident communities will respond positively to the prompts.

From the 2^nd August, letters will be going to an initial 11,000 households across the district. All other households will be written to later in the year so do not worry if you do not receive a letter in the coming weeks. The correspondence will be addressed to the occupier and includes full details of what steps to take.

If you tell the Council there are new people eligible to be registered at your address, they will receive an ‘invitation to register form’ either through the post (or via email, if this contact method has been provided).  They can also go online to register to vote at Register to Vote.

Any residents who have any questions can contact the elections team at Sedgemoor District Council by calling 0300 303 7804 or by emailing [email protected]