Information & advice

Age UK Kensington & Chelsea offers a free and confidential information and advice service for older people, their families and carers.

We can provide assistance with a number of issues including:

• Welfare Benefits 
  

  Please note that we are an Alternative Office for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for retirement age benefits.  We do not make decisions on your claims, this is done by the DWP but it means that we can verify the date of receipt of the claim.

  This can help you to get your claim started earlier because when we receive the claim, it is as if the DWP had received the claim and any payments would start from that date.

• Health & Disabilities
• Grant Applications
• Advice to Carers 
• Accessible Transport 
• Housing 
• Utility Debt & switching 

We provide a generalist information and advice service, as well as casework to deal with more complex enquiries. Please note: we do not provide advice on immigration, finance or consumer debt.

How to access the service

The Age UK Kensington & Chelsea office is based at 1 Thorpe Close, London, W10 5XL but please note that currently the office is closed to the public.

You can contact us by telephone on 0208 969 9105 Option 2 Monday to Friday 9.30 am – 1.00 pm and 2.00 pm – 5.00 pm, or email information@aukc.org.uk

Alternatively you can complete a referral form obtained from the Westway Reception at 1 Thorpe Close, London, W10 5XL.

Because of the demand we are currently having to run a waiting list if you need help with casework but many of your queries can be answered over the telephone.

Our advisers can assist you by telephone, face to face and if you cannot come to the office a home visit can be arranged.

Please download the Information & Advice leaflet here.

Outreach Sessions

The Information and Advice team are also running outreach sessions for simple Information and Advice enquiries

• On Mondays between 10.00 am and 2.30 pm

at St Cuthberts Hall, 51 Philbeach Gardens, SW5 9EB

Please call 0208 969 9105 option 0 for further information.

Lasting Power of Attorney Service

Are you looking for help with Lasting Power of Attorney?  Call the Information and Advice team and they will be able to explain several options to support you to do this, including a new LPA service working with other Age UKs across North West London; call 0208 969 9105 option 0. 

For more information please download the Lasting Power of Attorney leaflet here.

New Winter Support Services

We are pleased to tell you about some new support services being run through the Information and Advice team which aim to support people living in Kensington and Chelsea who are struggling to pay their bills over the winter period.

Winter Warmth Campaign

This is a scheme where you can apply for a grant for help with gas and electricity arrears, up to a maximum of £1,000 in a 12 month period, or if you have a prepayment meter, to a maximum of £500.

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the services you must be:

• Resident of Kensington and Chelsea (or have been temporarily rehoused outside of the Borough by the Council)
• Have up to £10,000 in savings if you are a single person or a couple over State Pension age and up to £8,000 if you are a single person or a couple under State Pension age.
• We would need to check your recent bank statement(s) and utility bill(s) and check your circumstances.

Cash Payments Scheme

This is a scheme for people who meet the same eligibility criteria as above, where we can pay small amounts of money to help you straight away in an emergency.  The funds would be sent to an ATM and a code would be sent to your mobile phone for you to access the money.  With this scheme we can help with money for food and drink or with your immediate fuel bills.

We would also offer to help you with income maximisation and check that you are in receipt of all the welfare benefits to which you are entitled.

For more information, call 0208 969 9105 – option 0, between 9.30 am and 5.00 pm.  We are closed for one hour between 1 pm and 2 pm.

The Mayor of London's Warmer Homes Programme

If you are a private tenant or homeowner living in a cold, draughty property and you receive benefits or are a low-income household your home could qualify for a full energy-efficiency upgrade.

The Mayor of London’s Warmer Homes Programme is offering up to £25,000 per household to make poorly-insulated homes warmer and cheaper to heat. Long-term savings on energy bills can be made by home upgrades such as wall, loft and floor insulation, double-glazing, draught-proofing, solar panels or heat pumps.

Homes with electric heating systems will benefit the most from the Warmer Homes programme. (The cost of electrically-heated homes can be up to four times as much as the cost of gas central heating.)

Don’t miss out on the chance to take the pain out of your energy bills and protect your home (and yourself!) from the cold.

Apply today at www.warmerhomes.london

Need some help with an application?

Across London organisations are supporting homeowners to access the grant free of cost.

Click here to see the list of Warmer Homes Advocates and organisations lending a hand.