Thousands of people are set to receive a £250 payment from this week through the Household Support Fund.
The support fund is a Government scheme which provides pots of cash to local councils, who then give out the money to those in need. This can be in cash payments or other support such as food vouchers.
Dudley Council is providing two rounds of payments to vulnerable households in the area from this week, with the fund opening from noon on January 17.
Households will be able to get one-off payments of £250 or of £300 for households where a person has a disability.
The council website warns the authority expects “demand to be high”, urging people to apply as soon as possible once the scheme opens.
Only residents who did not receive a payment previously in the summer and October phases of the scheme can apply.
Who can apply for the £250 payment?
You can make an application if you live in the Dudley Borough and:
- You are a multi-person household (this includes your partner, children or anyone else that lives with you).
- Your joint gross income, including wages and any other income (for example pensions and all benefits), are less than £45,000 a year
- Your savings are less than £2,000.
Or
- You are the only adult in the household
- Your gross income, including wages and any other income (for example, pensions and all benefits), is less than £35,000 per year
- Your savings are less than £2,000.
Applicants will also need to explain to the council why they are struggling to pay their bills.
DWP update on next year’s Household Support Fund
Labour MP Catherine West recently asked a question in Parliament about what will happen with the Household Support Fund in the coming financial year.
She posed the question: “To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he expects to announce his plans for the Household Support Fund for financial year 2024-25.”
Conservative MP Jo Churchill said in response: “The Government has provided over £2billion in funding for the Household Support Fund since October 2021.
“The current Household Support Fund runs from April 2023 until the end of March 2024, and the Government continues to keep all its existing programmes under review in the usual way.”
You can find out what support your local council is offering through the Household Support Fund by visiting their website.
Previous support include in Blackpool, where households received awards of £200 or £300 towards their energy bills. The funds were paid directly to the persons’ energy provider and appeared as a credit on their bill or pre-payment electric or gas meter.
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