THOUSANDS of households can get up to £650 in free cash – and you don’t have to be on Universal Credit or other benefits.
The help is being dished out under the new round of £421million funding given by the government to the Household Support Fund.
Thousands of households can get up to £650 in free cashPA:Press Association
Councils are giving out the cash to struggling households to help them with the rising cost of bills and food.
Each council gets a different portion of funding depending on the size of the catchment area, population, and need.
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.
The fund is often aimed at those already on low incomes and claiming help.
But you don’t always need to be on benefits or Universal Credit to be eligible for the cash.
There are also some areas offering the help to both, those to those on benefits and not claiming as they have a range of criteria.
We’ve rounded up the councils offering this help – and you could get as much as £650.
It’s important to remember that what you’re entitled to will depend on where you live.
To get more information on what support is available, and how to get it, you’ll need to contact your local council.
You can find yours using the gov.uk council checker tool.
Manchester – £650
People living in Manchester could be eligible for a free £650 payment from the council.
You can get the cash if you meet the following criteria:
You’re in receipt of Housing Benefit but no other DWP or HMRC benefitsHave not had a DWP Cost of Living paymentYou received a letter from Manchester City Council inviting them to claim a HSF payment
If you meet the eligibility criteria you will need to complete an application to get a payment.
As part of the application process, the council will perform checks to ensure you were not entitled to the Cost of Living Payments, and this may involve asking you for bank statements.
If your application is successful you’ll get the money through to your bank account.
Blackburn
People who live in the Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council area can get free cash to help towards energy and water bills as well as other costs.
Household support may be available for:
Blackburn with Darwen residents, children, families and adultsSingle income household with a total annual household income below £23,267Households with a total annual income below £34,904
To be eligible you must have less than £16,000 in savings.
You must be able to provide evidence of your total household income in the form of wage slips and bank statements, showing your name and address and upload these to your application.
If you have applied previously under the previous “Income related benefits” criteria you will not be eligible to apply again.
The council hasn’t specified how much will be on offer to each household but it will be allocated on a case by case basis.
Head over the the Blackburn with Darwen council website to apply and for more information.
Bracknell – £300
Households in Bracknell will also receive support in the form of supermarket vouchers.
Children in Bracknell Forest schools registered for free school meals will receive a supermarket voucher worth £15 supermarket voucher in February.
The fund is available to low income families who don’t get Universal Credit or other benefits that qualify for the government’s cost of living payment.
You are eligible for a supermarket voucher if you are in receipt of one or both of the following:
income based council tax reductionhousing benefit
If you are working age and in this category, you will receive a £300 voucher per household.
If you are pension age in this category, you will receive a £150 voucher per household, in addition to the existing national pension age payment.
You can apply for the vouchers online via the council’s website.
Burnley – £90
Depending on your circumstances, households could receive vouchers worth up to £90 in Burnley.
To qualify for Burnley Council’s Household Support Fund, you must live in the Borough of Burnley and fall into one of the following groups:
Your household receives council tax support and has a child that is 4 years old or underYou are only eligible for housing benefit and have not been eligible for the government’s £650 cost of living support paymentYou made an application for council tax support since 2020, but your application was not successful because your income was too high
Households do not need to apply for the free cash, instead, the council is writing to all eligible households.
Burnley Council started sending letters in December and it continued to send out in batches over a six-week period.
The letters contain a barcode you can use to pick up your cash payment from any Post Office branch.
Stockton-on-Tees – £350
Households in the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council catchment area can get up to £350 worth of help.
If you’re on a low income and don’t receive a Council Tax Reduction, then you might be eligible for support – but there are certain criteria you have to meet.
You can apply if no members of your household have received the government’s cost of living support payment and your total net income doesn’t exceed more than £510 for a family.
If you think you may be eligible, you can apply on the council’s website.
Households that receive a Council Tax Reduction, then you will be allocated vouchers worth up to £100.
These will be handed out to families with children, whereas those without will get vouchers worth £55.
You will be able to exchange these vouchers at any PayPoint outlet.
All eligible households should have been contacted by the council in January.
Care leavers aged 18 to 25 will also receive a voucher worth £75.
Calderdale – £50
Residents in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, are set for a one off £50 payment.
The free cash will be given to families on housing benefit, and/or Council Tax reduction or free school meals.
Calderdale Council began contacting eligible families from January 9, and they can now register for the payment.
Households with a disabled marker on the council’s welfare and benefits system started being contacted from January 16, and are in line for a £50 one off payment too.
These types of households must be receiving housing benefit and/or Council Tax reduction.
You can also apply for the fund if you meet the eligibility criteria.
If you have kids you have until February 21 to apply for the £50.
Households with a disabled marker on the council’s welfare system have until March 5 to apply.
Chorley
Residents in Chorley are being offered help with short-term living costs such as food, energy and essential items.
Citizens Advice Lancashire West are partnering with Chorley Council to support residents who are struggling with electricity, gas, and water costs.
Priority is being given to households who are not on benefits and not in receipt of the Cost of Living Payments distributed by the DWP.
How much you get depends on your circumstances and is being distributed in “small amounts”.
To apply, please complete the online application on our website via the link below, once received the council will send you a secure link to upload your bank statement.
Further information is provided within the link for those unable to complete the online application or upload their bank statement.
The council hasn’t specified how much will be on offer to each household but it will be allocated on a case by case basis.
City of York – £300
Households could receive vouchers worth up to £300 in York.
residents eligible for the scheme who live in York could get between £200 and £300.
On top of this the council will pay families with disabled children up to £250 in cash to help with bills.
Depending on your circumstances you may be eligible for the cash help if you or a family member are in receipt of:
Benefits-based free school mealsHousing BenefitCouncil Tax Support, but not Universal Credit or any other income-based supportDisability living allowance
Other households who are struggling to meet their living costs may be eligible, including:
Households who are ineligible for other government support with the cost of livingUnpaid carersCare leaversPeople with disabilitiesFamilies with children receiving low or middle-rate disability living allowancePensionersStudents upon referral from their educational establishmentFamilies with children
City of York Council started writing to over 3,000 potentially eligible families, inviting them to apply directly between December 5 and January 5.
Those successful received one-off payments of between £200 and £300 early in the new year.
Alongside this, a discretionary scheme opened for applications on Monday, December 5 and will run to Friday, March 31.
The discretionary scheme aims to support all financially vulnerable residents, and specifically families with disabled children who may be affected by the increase in utility costs.
The council has also confirmed that families with children on the higher rate disability living allowance (DLA) will automatically be paid up to £250.
Again, households will need to apply for the cash help on the York City Council website.
A full list of what you’ll need to help with your application is detailed by the council.
What other councils are offering help?
The following councils are also offering help to people who aren’t claiming Universal Credit or other benefits.
Brighton and HoveHastingsLondon Borough of BromleyWest SussexNottinghamshireAshford BoroughBarnsleyBoltonNorthamptonshireNorth YorkshireReading BoroughRutlandSandwellWealdenWest Northamptonshire
What other help can I get if I’m struggling?
Millions of households started receiving a £400 energy bill discount from October 1.
Households will have already received their £66 and £67 energy bill discounts each month since October.
There will also be a payment worth £67 in February and March.
Up until March 2023, a £300 one-off “Pensioner Cost of Living Payment” is being paid out to eight million households.
It is being given to those who already get the winter fuel payment – which is worth between £100 and £300 for those over state pension age.
Millions of households have also started to get the £150 Warm Home Discount between December 2022 and March 2023.
Check out more energy bill help you can claim, worth as much as £3,435 a year.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]