West Berkshire residents are being invited to sign up for the West Berkshire Collective Energy Switch and save on their energy bills.

The scheme, run in partnership with iChoosr Big Community Switch offers a no obligation collective energy switching scheme which gives people the opportunity to group together and pay less for their energy. Electric or dual fuel can be switched.

Many people are currently overpaying for their Electricity and Gas. This is mostly due to people staying with a single supplier for years. Due to the Covid -19 impact many people are earning less than they would have usually, and others with increased energy costs from working at or being at home more than usual, households are finding their energy bills have increased.

Since 2016, more than 7,600 households across West Berkshire have switched enabling them to access renewable energy and save an average of £270 per year in energy bills against standard tariffs by switching suppliers. 

Registering and participating in the West Berkshire Energy Switch is free and comes without obligation.

Steve Ardagh-Walter, West Berkshire’s Executive Member for “This is a great opportunity to not only check your energy bills to see if you can make savings and fix for the year ahead, but also to reduce carbon by signing up for a renewable electricity tariff.

“It’s not too late to sign up and see if you can save so make sure you don’t miss out! Tell friends and family about the scheme too as more registrations help to provide a cheaper tariff.”

Register from 1 December 2020 for the West Berkshire Energy Switch scheme  to be guaranteed renewable electricity and a no obligation personal offer so you can see how much money you might save by switching.

A reverse auction will be held on 9 February 2021 where energy suppliers will compete with their best offers.  Registration will close at midnight on 8 February 2021. From 23 February, participants will receive their personalised offer for consideration. Auctions are held each year in February, May, and October.

To register or find out more visit https://info.westberks.gov.uk/communityswitch

Participants will need to have their latest energy bill to hand, as details will be requested in the registration process.

A major study for Post Office Ltd (POL) sets out new evidence of the vital part post offices play providing essential services and support to citizens and local economies.

More than 8 in 10 (82%) people see their post office as an essential service, with young people valuing it almost as much as older people. Small businesses also rely on their local post office – 43% say they would not survive without it. Proximity is vital for both consumers and businesses, and 67% have a branch within a 10 minute journey, and 38% within a 10 minute walk.

Of the network’s wide range of services, mail services are most commonly used – 83% of respondents using it for letters and stamps and 80% for parcels. Post offices are also frequently used for returning online orders (54%), exchanging foreign currency (54%) and picking up official forms (44%). Just over 1 in 3 (35%) have used branches to withdraw or deposit cash.

Highlighting the importance of post offices as a physical presence, 87% of respondents agreed that the Post Office is an essential service for vulnerable or lonely people. And only 47% of people aged 65+ said they would be able to find an alternative place to access pensions and benefits. POL also says post offices deliver a lifeline to struggling high streets. Visits to
post offices help drive 400 million extra visitors and £1.1 bn additional revenue to other local businesses.

POL’s report follows Citizens Advice’s recent call for increased government investment in post offices to fix the cracks in the network and allow post offices to deliver even greater social value.

Although the country is going back to a regional tiered system from 2 December, an agreement has been reached across the UK for an easing of restrictions over the Christmas period.

In England from 23 – 27 December you can form an exclusive “Christmas Bubble” composed of people from no more than three households. You will be able to travel between tiers at this time and those in a Christmas Bubble will be able to meet in private homes together.

A “Christmas Bubble” however is exclusive, which means that you cannot be in more than one Christmas Bubble and you cannot change your bubble during this time period. It is also recommended that you take care to limit your contact with others before forming your bubble and after this time period ends.
Read full guidance on Christmas arrangements and how to form a bubble if you are clinically extremely vulnerable.
If you are thinking of forming a Christmas Bubble and meeting indoors, please take steps to keep yourselves as safe as possible by ensuring indoor spaces get as much fresh air as possible, washing your hands regularly and for 20 seconds, and ensuring regular cleaning of surface