THOUSANDS of families can still get help with their energy bills and supermarket spends with fuel vouchers worth £40 and more.
It’s part of the Household Support Fund, designed to help struggling families pay for essential costs – but time is running out to apply.
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The scheme for this year is due to close in just a few days time, but some councils are still letting families apply.
One of those is North Northamptonshire council.
The council is letting eligible residents claim £40 emergency top-up fuel vouchers for their pre-payment energy meters.
Energy bills are due to rocket by almost £700 in a matter of days too, so the emergency help could ensure families have the funds on their accounts to keep the lights on and the house warm.
If you live in the area you can apply online now, and once your application is submitted to the council, all the info will be looked over to determine if you’re eligible.
You will need to provide evidence of hardship, and in the case of the food vouchers that the council is also offering, the size of your family will be evaluated.
That will determine exactly how much you could get, but if you’re successful you’ll be able to use the vouchers on your next grocery shop to help cover the rising cost of supermarket essentials too.
Keep in mind though that it can take up to three weeks to be assessed.
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Then you’ll have to wait five working days to get your hands on the vouchers yourself.
But the council has said that fuel vouchers will be prioritised where possible – when we last reported on the scheme we revealed that you could get the help in as little as 24 hours.
The applications will only be accepted until March 31 though, so there is still time to apply, you’ll just have to act fast.
But that’s not to say it’s the end of the help.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that another £500million has been added to the Household Support Fund in his Spring Statement earlier this week.
That means that the fund has DOUBLED in value – with the total amount of money the government has piled into the fund standing at £1billion.
For now though, don’t worry if you don’t live in North Northamptonshire, other councils are still offering help whilst the scheme is open during this bout of funding.
Families who live in the North Yorkshire County Council catchment area have been able to claim a £125 voucher to help pay for food and other essentials, for example.
While, those living in Barnsley could get up to £200 in vouchers to spend at supermarkets and shops including Aldi, Asda, Argos and Currys – and they’ll usually arrive in 10 working days.
It’s not the only support out there for struggling households either.
There’s the £200 energy rebate to come later in the year and £150 discount on council tax bills that’s due at the start of April, for example.
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