Thousands of households may be eligible to claim hundreds of pounds worth of cost of living and energy bill support from their local councils.
The support is offered through the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Household Support Fund, worth around £842million, and distributed through local councils to people in need.
Councils decide in which way they distribute the funds based on the needs of their constituents. Some share the support in the form of energy bills or supermarket vouchers, while others may provide a cash award.
The DWP has allocated Enfield Council £5,695,989 to help households with the rise in energy bills and cost of living. It has decided to divide the pot into cash payments of £250, but in “exceptional circumstances” people may be eligible to receive more.
Enfield Council households are eligible to apply if they have an annual household net income of less than £40,000 and savings of less than £1,000. Calculations should not include benefit payments such as Personal Independence Payments (PIP), Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Carers Allowance, or Child Benefit.
Westminster Council is offering households up to £300 worth of supermarket vouchers to residents who aren’t eligible for other means of help. Eligible residents must be paying rent or a mortgage, aren’t a student, do not receive any means-tested benefits, and have an income of up to £30,000 (or £50,000 if children are in the household).
They also must have savings of less than £5,000 and are struggling due to the cost of living pressures.
Eligible families in Portsmouth can get supermarket vouchers worth up to £150. Those with children attending school in Portsmouth in years R to 11 who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals will receive their second voucher, worth £80 per child, before the Christmas break.
Families will receive a voucher code automatically from their child’s school, which is typically sent via email.
Meanwhile, lower-income families in Portsmouth with children who don’t qualify for a voucher from a school will be able to apply for a voucher in the new year. The scheme is not yet open for applications, but people can sign up to be notified when it opens.
Derby City Council, which has been allocated £500,000 is also sharing support with constituents through supermarket vouchers worth up to £120.
In Blackpool, an award of £200 will be made by this council to qualifying households of one or two people (and includes children) and £300 to qualifying households of three or more people (also including children) to help with energy.
If successful, awards will be paid directly to the persons’ energy provider and will appear as a credit on their bill or pre-payment electric or gas meter.
People can find out if and what their local councils are offering through the Household Support Fund by visiting the respective websites.
The funding has been extended until March 2024 and any remaining money in the pots will be divided at each council’s discretion.
