TENS of thousands of Brits are set to receive £130 in extra cost of living cash before Christmas.
The cash support comes through the Household Support Fund, which is worth £842million.
GettyOver 30,000 households are set to receive £130 in cost of living cash before Christmas[/caption]
You’ll usually need to be on a low income to receive the help, but you don’t necessarily need to be claiming DWP benefits like Universal Credit to claim the cash.
What you can get depends on where you live and what eligibility requirements are set by your local authority.
For example, 32,000 households living in Nottinghamshire can get free cash paid directly to their bank accounts to help with the cost of living.
Eligible households can get up to £130 depending on their circumstances.
Some households will need to apply for the support but others will receive the cash automatically.
Councillor John Cottee, the County Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities said: “We know many households continue to struggle to pay food and energy bills, and with Christmas coming up, those pressures are only going to increase for many local families.
“We are pleased to confirm that support worth more than £4 million is to be shared among thousands of families who need this support the most and is due to arrive in time for the festive season.
“This latest winter payments will be paid in the same way to help speed up the process, but this time each household will receive an extra £30.
“Given the volume of people who can’t afford basic white goods such as a working fridge or a cooker, an extra £200,000 is being allocated, bringing the total to £600,000 available to be spent on goods which will help improve the health and well-being of residents who are most in need, as identified by front-line workers such as social workers and Citizens Advice staff.”
Who’s eligible for the support and how much can I get?
The council is making discretionary payments of £130 per application available to low-income households.
This includes families with children eligible for free school meals or equivalent, and those in receipt of Pension Credit.
Other households and individuals who have been identified by social workers and other professionals as struggling with rising costs will also be eligible.
Households can check if they are eligible for free cash on the Nottinghamshire County Council website.
Do I need to apply for the support?
Those who applied, or were referred in by a front-line worker, for the council’s previous summer payments before September 30 will automatically be sent the winter payment and will not need to re-apply.
Those who are eligible for this support and have previously had a letter from the council can still apply for winter support by completing the form on the council’s website.
Anyone currently claiming Pension Credit or benefits-related free school meals and have not received a letter to apply, can get in touch by emailing [email protected] and include ‘Missing HSF letter’ in the email subject box.
The council will only accept one application per household and the person paying the council tax must be the one to apply for the support.
What if I don’t live in Nottinghamshire?
Each council runs its own Household Support Scheme.
Local authorities are given a different portion of funding depending on the size of the catchment area, population, and need.
Local authorities have some autonomy on how they use the Fund to reach the vulnerable people in their communities.
Eligibility requirements will vary depending on where you live – so check directly with your council if you could get the cash help.
The vouchers or grants on offer vary by location so you’ll have to check to see what you can get and how your council will pay you.
In other news, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is getting primed to deliver his Autumn Statement this week.
The Statement will be read in the House of Commons on Wednesday (November 22) at midday.
The annual fiscal event sees the government outline its plans for tax hikes, cuts and things like changes to the minimum wage.
Of course, we won’t know exactly what’s coming in the Autumn Statement until the day itself, but we’ve looked at what could be expected.
From the hotly anticipated annual benefit uprating to tax cuts – here’s what might come to fruition on Wednesday.