Cost of living payments worth up to £200 available for thousands of families from TODAY to help with food and fuel
THOUSANDS of households can get cost of living payments worth up to £200 from today.
The cash boost comes via the Household Support Fund (HSF) which is designed to help vulnerable or low income Brits.
The latest round of the fund is worth £421million and has been shared between councils in England.
These councils then decide how to distribute their share which means what you are eligible for will vary based on where you live.
Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council in Greater Manchester is offering 2,000 households payments worth up to £200 to help with food and/or fuel costs.
Single-person households can get up to £100 – £51 to help with the cost of food and/or £49 towards fuel costs.
Meanwhile, couples and households with children can get up to £200 – £102 to cover food costs and/or £98 for fuel.
To qualify for the scheme, you must live in Tameside and meet a sother criteria. You must be:
- Aged 16 or over and liable for council tax plus receiving at least one of the following benefits:
- Universal Credit and you have no earnings or your (and your partners) net earnings in the last monthly assessment period are no more than £935
- Employment and Support Allowance (Income Related)
- Job Seekers Allowance (Income Related)
- Income Support
- Pension Credit
- Council Tax Support
- Housing Benefit
You can apply for help on the council’s website from today via wwww.tameside.gov.uk/householdsupportfund.
Pensioners not receiving one of the above benefits but struggling with food and fuel costs should contact Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council’s welfare rights advice line on 0800 074 9985 to see about getting any help.
Help for those who don’t live in Tameside
Councils across England have each been given a share of the £421million HSF which means you could be in line for help if you live outside Tameside.
You usually qualify if you’re on a low income, benefits or classed as vulnerable.
For example, households in Darlington are eligible for £100 free cash grants to cover the cost of living.
Meanwhile, pensioners in Wakefield can get vouchers worth up to £120.
Contact your local council if you think you’re eligible for help. You can find what council area you fall under by visiting www.gov.uk/find-local-council.
In any case, you’ll need to apply sharpish as councils have until March 31 to allocate their share of the latest round.
Get help with the cost of living
You could get a grant from your energy firm if you’ve fallen behind on your bills.
British Gas and Octopus Energy both have schemes that offer to pay you non-repayable grants.
Other energy companies are handing out freebies like electric blankets and air fryers too, including Octopus Energy and EDF.
It’s worth checking if you can get your council tax bill reduced or even wiped completely if you’re on a low income or benefits too.
For example, single person households can get a 25% discount while pensioners on the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit can get up to 100% off.
Check if you qualify for benefits – billions of pounds’ worth is going unclaimed, according to Policy in Practice.
There are three major free calculators you can use to see what you might be entitled to:
Are you missing out on benefits?
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity Turn2Us’ benefits calculator works out what you could get.
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.