Carmarthenshire County Council has reassured residents that services and support is there during the cost-of-living crisis.

The local authority is reminding residents of the financial help and household support available to them.

Advisers can be contacted online or at one of the HWB centres to help people apply for support, services and money they are entitled to.

A county council spokesperson said: “We know how difficult it is when you need support, but don’t know where to turn - we want you to know that we are here for you.”

Since April of this year, the HWB advisers have had over 400 applications for advice and support from residents and have helped with applications for a range of council and third-party support schemes.

These include blue badges for disabled parking, council tax discounts, personal independence payments and grants to help parents purchase school essentials, such as school uniforms.

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Deputy Leader and Cabinet lead Cllr. Linda Evans said: “Now, more than ever, it is important that people know what support and benefits are available to them as the increasing cost-of-living affects us all.

“Paying for food, energy, fuel and the mortgage, to name only a few rising costs, is at the forefront of all of our minds, so it is extremely important that people can access whatever assistance there is available to them.

“The process of applying for different support can be overwhelming and that is why we have set up HWB teams, at Llanelli, Ammanford and Carmarthen for people to call in and speak with an adviser.

"Our HWB advisers can guide you through the various processes of applying for support and benefits and they might be able to suggest other branches of support that you might not be aware of. This service is free of charge.

“The council has recently started to distribute the Welsh Government’s Winter Support Scheme and, later this month, we will be hosting a cost-of-living event to bring together a range of partner agencies to better understand what else can be done at a local level to support those being hit hardest by the cost-of-living crisis.”