MILLIONS more in vouchers and cash is set to be handed out for struggling households later this year.
That’s because Chancellor Rishi Sunak has extended the Household Support Fund AGAIN – pumping another £500 million into the pot.
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In a statement made in the Commons today, the Chancellor announced a new bout of support.
The action was taken to help struggling Brits with the cost of living crisis.
He said: “There may be some people who fall between the cracks.
“So to support them, we will extend the Household Support Fund by half a billion pounds.”
That means another £500 million will be added to the Household Support Fund from October.
The new support will extend the Household Support Fund from the autumn time this year to March 2023.
In total it brings the amount provided through the Household Support Fund to £1.5 billion since its launch in October last year, as well.
The fund was designed to help those in most need with payments towards the rising cost of food, energy, and water bills, which have all rocketed to eye-watering highs in recent months.
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Each of the utilities isn’t set to come down from that high any time soon either, with rising energy bills on the way later in the year, as well as prices on the supermarket shelves shooting up, and more.
As a result, Mr Sunak also announced other measures to aid hard-up consumers, battling the rising costs.
They include:
Rising inflation means the price of everything is going up, so plenty of consumers are left worrying about how they’ll cough up funds for the next bill through the door, or to get food on the table.
The government had already piled extra money into the Household Support Fund this year to help ease the pressure for some bill-payers, whose wallets are already stretched.
Already £500 million had been added to the pot so more families and low income households could benefit, when the Chancellor made his last announcement in the Spring Statement.
Money from the fund has been dished out to local councils, whose decision it is to allocate help to those that need it most.
Each council offers up something different, and eligibility rules can vary too.
In the most recent leg of support, we’ve seen authorities give out everything from free cash worth over £100, to school meal vouchers, supermarket vouchers and energy vouchers.
Reading Council for example, is giving pensioners energy vouchers worth £98, and families a sum of £49 to help cover similar costs.
Meanwhile, eligible residents in Norfolk can get £120 in food vouchers to cover meals for kids, with the council’s latest hand-out.
Plus there’s a chance to claim up to £180 in support for those living in Cornwall, and parents in Brighton and Hove could get £105 to cover essentials over the school breaks coming up this year.
It’s best to check in with your own local authority to find out what may be up for grabs as well as how you can apply.
This support will come to an end in September though, before Mr Sunak’s newest fund comes into force.
It’s likely then we’ll see councils offer up similar examples of support, from food vouchers to cash for fuel with the next £500 million that’s dished out.
There’s other support lined up in the meantime, due to help similar financial strains.
In total the Chancellor today announced £15billion worth of relief, including £1,500 for the poorest households and energy discounts for all, to ease the pressure on people’s wallets.
Families across the country can expect money off their sky-rocketing energy bills, which are set to rise to £2,800 a year from October, for example.
They’ll get £400 off, regardless of income.
That’s double the amount originally proposed when Brits were told they’d get £200 off their bills this autumn.
The even better news is that it will now take the form of a grant, not a loan, which means it doesn’t need to be repaid at a later date.
In addition, over eight million pensioner households will receive an extra one-off payment of £300 too, as announced today.
Plus, six million Brits with disabilities will also be handed an additional £150.
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