The Great “Free or Subsidised by my Council” Hunt

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  • Redditch Borough Council offers free entry to the Forge Mill Museum to residents on a Wednesday (you're supposed to bring your council tax bill as proof I think).

    They have also been offering subsidised waste disposal units, and a council tax rebate on cavity wall and loft insulation, even if you're not on benefits.
  • cazziebo
    cazziebo Posts: 3,209 Forumite
    Stirling council - free compost if you go and collect at Polmaise Landfill site and you can sometimes get in to Stirling castle free if you show a council tax bill :confused:

    I was told it was only for people who lived in the old Town (within the old walls) but we've got in with assorted relatives and we live outside that area.
  • liz545
    liz545 Posts: 1,726 Forumite
    If you live, work, or study in the London borough of Southwark you can get free cycle training lessons, to encourage more people to cycle and teach them how to do it safely. I found them really helpful, and they've made me more confident at cycling on the roads. Going back to the point about "free" services being paid for by council tax, and possibly leading to higher bills, while I don't disagree with this, councils also have to prove that people are using the services in order to guarantee funding for them in the future. If people don't use the services, they may well get cut and the budget re-allocated. So if your council offers a good free service, get out there and use it, and encourage other people to do so!
    2015 comp wins - £370.25
    Recent wins: gym class, baby stuff
    Thanks to everyone who posts freebies and comps! :j
  • The town leisure centres push memberships but if you don't use it enough then switch to pay-as-you-go and don't feel guilty about not going - with light evenings I'd rather exercise by digging the garden anyway!!
  • ali1972
    ali1972 Posts: 599 Forumite
    Swimming Pools in Lewisham:

    The Leisure Centres in Lewisham tend to advertise and push their full memberships a lot (which include Gym, Pool etc) but if you just want to swim (and you don't qualify for any of the other cheap or free swimming initiatives) you can get a really great saving by just buying a "Swim Saver" card. It involves paying in advance for 1, 3 or 6 months in advance and then you get unlimited pool access for that period. A 6 month swim saver costs me about £88 for 6 months unlimited swimming. If I did "Pay As You Go" I would pay £3 a session. If I swim 4 times a week (which I easily do) I save £448 over a year by using a "Swim Saver". That's a holiday! Even if you swim twice a week you can save yourself over £130 a year.

    This applies to the pools in Lewisham which are managed by Parkwood Leisure.
    Yeah, whatever. I'm a grown up, I can take it...
  • Lancashire County Coucil, is offering a free Compost bin with a kitchen Caddy and a supply of Bio degradable bags, to any home in the County of Lancashire. The Bins are the same type that you buy in B & Q for around £30.
  • moneylover
    moneylover Posts: 1,660
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
    Forumite
    All public libraries in England have free internet access normally for one hour per day.
    All have some subscription databases available usually newspaper archives, Encyclopedias and other reference works as a minimum. many have Ancestry for family history, British Standards, business databases etc.
    For example see what we have in Essex
    Many libraries now offer e-books.
    And if you have a question you want answering your library may well have a question and answer email service or a Homework Help service.
    Nationally you can also ask a librarian a question here:
    Enquire
  • Barnsley (South Yorkshire) Council subsidise exercise classes in Lundwood (Priory Campus) meaning they are only £1. They are on a Monday night at are: yoga 5.30pm, pilates 6.30pm and boxercise 7.30pm. I think they do a latin dance session on a wednesday but not sure. I go to pilates are yoga each week - great fun!
  • BexTech
    BexTech Posts: 4,772 Forumite
    ali1972 wrote: »
    Swimming Pools in Lewisham:

    The Leisure Centres in Lewisham tend to advertise and push their full memberships a lot (which include Gym, Pool etc) but if you just want to swim (and you don't qualify for any of the other cheap or free swimming initiatives) you can get a really great saving by just buying a "Swim Saver" card. It involves paying in advance for 1, 3 or 6 months in advance and then you get unlimited pool access for that period. A 6 month swim saver costs me about £88 for 6 months unlimited swimming. If I did "Pay As You Go" I would pay £3 a session. If I swim 4 times a week (which I easily do) I save £448 over a year by using a "Swim Saver". That's a holiday! Even if you swim twice a week you can save yourself over £130 a year.

    This applies to the pools in Lewisham which are managed by Parkwood Leisure.

    Don't go swimming and that saves you £176 - that's another holiday.
    It's PAC not PAC Code, it's MAC not MAC Code, it's PIN not PIN Number, it's ATM not ATM Machine, it's LCD not LCD Display, it's DVD not DVD disc... It's no one not noone, It's a lot not alot, It's got not gotten... Panini is the plural of panino - there is no S!!
    (OK my English isn't great, the sciences, maths & IT are my strong points!)
  • People under Leicestershire County Council can chose a free shopping bag at http://www.leics.gov.uk/index/environment/waste/reusable_bags/reusable_bags_available.htm
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