CASH-strapped households can grab £115 FREE to help cover essential costs for the remainder of this winter.
A £500million pot has been divvied up to councils across the UK as part of the Household Support Fund.
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The cash will come in handy to thousands who felt the pinch of Christmas costs and need some help in the New Year.
Christmas is usually an expensive time of year, but alongside the rising cost of living crisis, Brits have been hit especially hard this winter.
Those who are left needing financial support can get a top-up from their local council to battle essential bills.
Eligibility varies from council to council, as does funding, so you will need to check what your local council is offering.
You can find your local authority using the local council checker tool on the government’s website.
For most councils, the funding runs up until March 31.
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Other councils may have earlier deadlines, like Hertfordshire whose deadline is February 28.
And many councils have made clear that once funding is exhausted, no more help can be provided, meaning support could run out before the end of March anyway.
So it’s important to apply for funding as early as possible to avoid missing out.
It’s even more important for households with children to apply before February 11 if you want to get support ahead of the February half term, as applications can take 10 days to process.
Doncaster Council has been given £2.9million to support local residents as part of the scheme which started in October 2021.
With its budget, Doncaster Council is giving out both food vouchers of £15 and fuel vouchers of £100 to eligible families in the area.
But not everyone can apply for the cash, you have to meet requirements.
Who is eligible?
To claim the £100 fuel voucher, you can be a household with or without children.
If you are a household with children who are eligible for free school meals and you are the liable party for rent and/or council tax, you can apply for the voucher.
And if you are a household without children but are receiving Council Tax Reduction, Housing Benefit or Universal Credit that includes housing costs in the calculation, you can still nab the cash support.
In order to access the food vouchers, you must be a household with children.
You can apply for one voucher per child who is eligible for free school meals, which will be granted ahead of the February half term.
You’ll need to contact the child’s school for this support, not the local authority.
Children who don’t receive free school meals where the parent or guardian is receiving any of the following will still be able to get a £15 voucher:
- Council Tax reduction;
- Housing Benefit OR;
- Universal Credit that includes housing costs in the calculation.
If you’re worried you’re not doing enough to counter high bills, you can check if you’ve been using your thermostat all wrong – and it could save you £100 off your heating bill.
The Sun spoke to an energy expert to find the best advice on keeping bills low over the winter period.
If you want to check whether your home is as efficient as possible at lowering bills, you can check whether you have these savvy gadgets and whether it’s worth purchasing them to hack down costs.
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