Thousands of households to receive cost of living cash worth £200 – are you eligible?
THOUSANDS of households are set to receive £200 in free cost of living support.
The help comes via the Household Support Fund (HSF) which is worth £421million.
The giant fund has been shared between councils in England who are allocating it to residents in need.
The latest round of the fund has to be handed out to eligible households before the end of September.
What you are entitled to depends on where you live as each council has been given a unique share of the fund.
Eligibility criteria varies from area to area too, although you will most likely qualify if you are on a low income or benefits, such as Universal Credit.
Wiltshire Council has been given £2.7million from the latest round of the HSF to share between thousands of residents in need.
The last round of support saw households receive an average of £200 worth of help and it will likely be the same again this round.
The type of support on offer between now and September ranges from food parcels, vouchers to cover energy and food bills, household items and meals.
Where eligible residents are issued vouchers, they will come in an electronic format with a set amount loaded on to them.
Wiltshire Council said the latest round of support is for low income households that are struggling to buy food, pay essential utility bills or are generally struggling with the cost of living.
There’s no set age limit for those who can receive help, and children of all ages, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers and disabled people could all qualify.
The authority also said homeless sleepers and members of the Gypsy, Roma, Traveller and Boater communities will also be eligible for help.
Anyone who is eligible for help from Wiltshire Council is being contacted by letter or email with next steps.
For more details on the fund, you can visit Wiltshire Council’s website on https://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/.
What about if I don’t live in Hillingdon?
The latest round of Household Support Fund has to be allocated by councils by the end of September this year, but some started giving out help from April when the round started.
How has the Household Support Fund evolved?
THE Household Support Fund was first launched in October 2021 to help Brits pay their way through winter amid the cost of living crisis.
Councils up and down the country got a slice of the £500million funding available to dish out to Brits in need.
It was then extended for a second time in the 2022 Spring Budget and for a third time in October 2022 to help those on the lowest incomes with the rising cost of living.
The DWP then confirmed a fourth extension of the scheme through to March 31, 2024.
Chancellor Jeremey Hunt extended the HSF for the fifth time while delivering his Spring Budget on March 6, 2024.
That means you might have missed your chance to qualify for help if you live outside of Wiltshire.
The best thing to do, especially if you are struggling financially or on benefits, is to approach your local council to see if you qualify for any help.
You can find what council area you fall under by using the Government’s council locator tool.
Depending on where you live, you may have to actively apply for help, or it may be distributed to you automatically.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council is issuing £200 payments automatically to households, for example.
Leeds City Council is sending eligible households letters containing a barcode which can be taken to the nearest Post Office and redeemed for cash.
Cambridgeshire Council is issuing payments worth up to £220 to households via bank transfer.
How else to get help with the cost of living
If you’re not eligible for the Household Support Fund in your local area, it’s worth checking if you qualify for benefits.
Recent figures from Policy in Practice reveal millions of people aren’t claiming the extra help when they could be.
In total, £23billion went unclaimed over the last financial year, with £8.3billion worth of Universal Credit not claimed for.
You can apply for benefits on the Government’s website.
It’s not just extra money you get from benefits either, with a number opening up additional perks.
Those on Universal Credit can get help covering the cost of childcare, for example, while those on Pension Credit can get a free TV licence.
Those on the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit also qualify for the Warm Home Discount – a £150 discount off energy bills once a year.
You may also be able to get grants to cover your energy bills if you’ve fallen into arrears.
A number of energy firms offer grants to struggling customers, including Scottish Power, Octopus Energy and British Gas.
If you’re struggling to pay your bills, speak to your supplier to see if they can give you any help.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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