Telephone helpline set up by Lewes District Citizens Advice for vulnerable residents

It comes after concern for some of its most vulnerable clients in the Newhaven area who have not made contact with the service.

A spokesman said: “In order to try to deal with this we have set up a special admin telephone number specifically to contact those clients with both coronavirus issues and unrelated issues.”

Lewes Citizens Advice, which has three branches – in Lewes, Newhaven and Seaford, said if residents’ income is reduced as a result of Covid-19, they should check whether they’re entitled to sick pay or to claim benefits.

“You can check your eligibility for both sick pay and benefits on the Citizens Advice website,” said a spokesman.

“If you’re already on existing benefits, these might also increase.

“If you’re struggling to pay rent, talk to your landlord straight away.

“You should explain the situation and could ask for more time to pay, a temporary reduction in rent, or ask to catch up any missed payments by instalments.

“If you contact your nearest Citizens Advice an adviser can help you explain things to your landlord.

“If you can’t come to an agreement with your landlord, it’s a good idea to pay what you can afford and keep a record of what you offered.

“The government passed an emergency law which means landlords have to give you three months notice to end certain tenancy types from March 26.

“The court service has suspended all possession action for 90 days from March 27.

“This means that even if you have been served a notice for eviction it’s unlikely it can be enforced during this time.”

Residents can find out more about what to do if they are being evicted for rent arrears on the Citizens Advice website.

If people are already claiming Housing Benefit, they should tell the council their income has been reduced.

If they do not claim the benefit, they may be entitled to help with housing costs from the government.

The spokesman added: “When it comes to your utilities, you should contact the provider as soon as possible.

“Depending on the type of bill, they may be able to arrange a payment plan, or have schemes in place for people in financial hardship.

“You should also talk to your local council, as your income has changed you might be entitled to a council tax reduction.

“If you’re struggling to pay multiple bills, it’s important to sort out what’s known as ‘priority bills’ like energy bills or council tax over credit card bills.

“This is because the immediate consequences of not paying these things are much more serious. Citizens Advice website can help you with this.”

People who need advice on coronavirus or any unrelated topic, they should call Lewes Citizens Advice on the new helpline number: 01273 007557 and leave a message. It said it aims to call people back within 24 hours.