Thousands of families to get free cash vouchers worth £200 – are you eligible for cost of living payments?

THOUSANDS of households are now eligible to apply for up to £200 of cash vouchers to help with food, energy, water bills and other living costs.

The help comes via the Household Support Fund (HSF) which is worth £421million.

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The money is intended to help with the cost of essentials such as food and energy[/caption]

The fund has been shared between councils in England who have to distribute their portion before the end of September.

What you can get depends on where you live, as each local authority has been given its own unique amount.

Wigan Council has received funding, and you can now apply for a variety of awards.

Support is provided through cash vouchers via the Post Office and PayPoint sites across the borough.

Food Pantry Voucher awards are also made to residents to provide healthy, affordable food alternatives that also reduce waste, using a pantry in their community.

Families on free school meals receive support of £15 per week per child, distributed as a single payment to cover the holidays.

Residents can also access awards of £20 for energy support, with other allocations being proactively made to the borough’s care leavers, households in receipt of disabled band reductions and pensioners receiving Council Tax reductions.

In total, £200 is up for grabs, which is based on a household with two children receiving the £15 per week payment for the duration of the six-week school holidays, in addition to the £20 energy support award.

However, the exact amount you are likely to receive will depend on your circumstances.

So far, Wigan has made over 30,000 awards to nearly 21,500 households.

Payments have been made since April 1 2024 and will continue until September 30, 2024, which is when the funding provision period ends.

You do not need to receive benefits to apply but to be eligible for the Household Support Fund, you must meet the following criteria.

You must live in the borough of Wigan (if you don’t live in Wigan borough, you must apply to your own local authority)

You must be aged 16 years or older.

Applicants with no recourse to public funds can apply regardless of their immigration status, if there is a genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution, for example, if there are community care needs, serious health problems or a risk to a child’s wellbeing.

You can apply through Wigan Council’s website.

Can I get help if I don’t live in Wigan?

You might be able to. The £421million HSF pot has been shared between councils in England, but not equally.

Each local authority gets to decide its own eligibility criteria.

That means what you can get, and whether you qualify, depends on where you live.

Some councils started distributing help in April and have already depleted their share, so you might have missed out for now.

The Household Support Fund has been extended multiple times since its inception in October 2021, so it may be extended again though.

If you are not a Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council resident, contact your local council for details of their scheme.

There are currently a number of councils offering help via the HSF.

Leicestershire Council is handing out payments worth £300 to thousands of households.

Households in Stockport can claim up to £315 worth of free supermarket vouchers to help with the cost of living.

Meanwhile, Wokingham Council is handing out grants worth up to £140.

If you want to check if you are eligible for help, contact your local council.

You can find what council area you fall under by using the Government’s council locator tool.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

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