HOUSEHOLDS in serious need of financial support this winter can claim £75 towards rocketing essential costs.
As part of the Household Support Fund (HSF), the government has dished out £500million to councils nationwide.
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Families with little money to pay bills have been able to claim free assistance from their local council since October 2021.
The funding is set to run until March 2022, unless councils exhaust their portion of the pot sooner – so it’s essential to apply for help immediately.
Each council has been awarded a different amount of cash depending on its size and need, and how each council chooses to hand out the funding is up to them individually.
For example, in Spelthorne, residents can grab a cash payment of up to £80 while Runnymede residents can grab a maximum of £800 towards essential costs such as white goods and repairs.
If you’re not sure which council is in charge of your area, you can tap your postcode into the government’s local council checker tool to find out.
The most common types of support provided are supermarket vouchers, fuel vouchers and one-off payments.
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Those living in Ealing could get £75 in supermarket vouchers over February and March.
The majority of voucher recipients are automatically identified from council records and sent out, but some may need to contact the council if they believe they meet requirements.
Ealing council will be supplying these vouchers in two stages – the first payment will be February 22 and the second will be March 22.
In February, the vouchers will be £25 per eligible person, and £50 per eligible person in March.
So a family with two children would receive two £25 supermarket vouchers in February and two £50 vouchers in March, for example.
Am I eligible?
These vouchers are being sent out to the following eligible households:
- Children attending Ealing schools eligible for free school meals due to low income;
- Care leavers;
- Families in receipt of council tax reduction and/or housing benefits with children under five.
The vouchers are being issued periodically, prior to school holidays.
If you need help but you’re not eligible for this money, you might be able to grab free cash towards your energy bills from your energy supplier.
Four energy firms are still offering a £140 discount from energy bills despite Shell energy closing its scheme – is yours one of the four?
For those on benefits, you may be able to grab £1000s worth of free cash support that you didn’t know about.
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