CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak announced that £500million has been added to the Household Support Fund in his Spring statement today.
It means that the fund has DOUBLED in value – the total amount of money the government has piled into the fund stands at £1billion.
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But what is it, and how do you apply for the help? We explain all you need to know.
What is the Household Support Fund?
The Household Support Fund was launched in October last year to help Brits pay their way through winter amid a cost of living crisis.
Councils up and down the country got a slice of the £500million funding available to dish out to Brits in need.
The help you can get varies depending on who your local council is, as well as your personal situation.
But you may be able to get free cash and vouchers to help pay for things like heating your home or to cover costs of your weekly grocery shop.
The Sun has spotted some councils are offering hundreds of pounds in cash and vouchers in some cases.
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Families who live in the North Yorkshire County Council catchment area were able to claim a £125 voucher to help pay for food and other essentials.
If you live in Barnsley, you could get up to £200 in vouchers to spend at supermarkets and shops including Aldi, Asda, Argos and Currys – they’ll usually arrive in 10 working days.
While families could get up to £120 in vouchers that can be put towards paying off prepayment meter energy bills if they lived in North Northamptonshire.
How do you apply?
Councils had to divvy out help under the Household Support Fund by March 31, 2022.
That meant households have been scrambling to apply.
But in good news for struggling Brits, Rishi Sunak has extended the scheme in the Spring Statement today.
It means that councils will get £500million extra from April.
It is not known when the scheme will close now following Rishi’s extension.
But we will update this story as soon as we know more.
To get the help, you’ll need to apply through your local council – as local authorities are in charge of distributing the funding.
To find your local council, use the gov.uk council finder tool.
Once you’ve found your council, there should be information on how to apply for the funding on its website.
Each council will have a different application process – so exact details on how to apply will vary depending on where you live.
That means that the eligibility requirements to access the fund could also vary – it’s best to check with your local council for more details.
If there’s no information on your council’s website, then its best to ring them up and ask for more information.
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