Thousands of Brits could get free ‘top-ups’ worth up to £700 – but you need to be quick

THOUSANDS of lucky UK households could receive up to £700 in ‘top ups’ to help them with rising energy bills – but you need to be quick.

Residents are able to claim the helpful package through their local council as part of the Household Support Fund scheme.

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Those living under Newcastle City Council are eligible for the cash as councillors look to help people “top up” their bank accounts.

The money is only available to those who didn’t receive a £900 cost of living package in the last 12 months.

Seven hundred pounds is the maximum you can be given as the amount depends on your “individual circumstances”, say the council.

The Newcastle City Council website announced plans to give out the cash in three instalments up until the end of March 2024.

Those eligible will be automatically contacted by the council’s benefits department later this month.

They will detail your deal and tell you how to claim it.

This support scheme started in the summer of last year with people already seeing payments between £400 to £700 being sent to them.

Despite this offer being exclusive to Newcastle council residents, the entire country has been given money which the local councils are set to give out to those who need it most.

But a staggering report found that £85million is still unclaimed and sitting still waiting to be spent.

Local councils were given £842million in funding from the Government but now just have weeks to hand it down.

The money is only available until until March 31.

What is the Household Support Fund and who is eligible?

The Household Support Fund was first launched in October 2021 to help Brits cover the increasing cost of living.

Councils in England received a slice of £500million in funding and were left to dish it out to households in need.

It was then extended for a second time in the 2022 Spring Budget and for a third time in October 2022.

In February last year, the DWP extended the scheme for a fourth time through to March 31, 2024.

Until now, the Government has refused to confirm if it will be extended again.

However, The Sun understands it has not ruled out a fifth extension, with one “under review”.

Who qualifies for help through the scheme varies as each council gets to decide its own eligibility criteria.

But, in most cases, help is dished out to those on benefits or a low income.

For example, Doncaster Council is giving out help to those on housing benefit, council tax reductions, Universal Credit and free school meals.

Meanwhile, Dorset Council is handing out support to those with an annual household net income or less than £30,000 and savings of less than £16,000.

How much can I get?

As with eligibility, how much you can get via the Household Support Fund varies depending on where you live.

For example, Kent County Council is offering residents virtual prepaid cards to the value of £100 which can be used to pay off energy bills.

Meanwhile, Portsmouth City Council is offering out supermarket vouchers worth £150.

Dorset Council is rolling out round four of its Household Support Fund, which includes supermarket vouchers worth £150.

You should check on your local council’s website to see what help is available, or give them a call to find out more.

Not all councils are handing out support to individual residents – some are using their funding to upgrade people’s homes.

For example, Kingston upon Hull Council has used the fund to pay for hundreds of boilers and radiators for hard-up families.

How to apply

TO get the help, you’ll need to check with your council – as local authorities are in charge of distributing the funding.

To find your local council, use the gov.uk council finder tool.

Check in with them and finds out if they are offering any rewards through the scheme.

Bear in mind some councils will get in contact whereas others won’t.

You may automatically receive the payment as your bank details are already registered with the council.

All links should be found online under unique tabs on the relevant websites.

The funding is available until the end of March.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk