The current Household Support fund awarded to has now been allocated, the online application form has closed.
Central Government has announced that further funding will be available. We are awaiting the final details on how that will be distributed.
If you are in crisis please contact the Ways to Welfare Service on 03003 733 300
Cost of living support information on GOV.UK
The Household Support Fund (DWP) grant is funded by the Department for Work and Pensions, UK Government.
The Council has a limited amount of money available through the Household Support Fund to help people who are in financial crisis because of rising prices. The funding is available to 31 March 2024 or when the funding has been allocated, whichever occurs soonest.
How funds will be allocated
We are expecting demand for support to be high, and we will now only be able to pay out if you are facing significant hardship.
This means we will need to ask for some information about your household and your financial situation.
Payments will only be made to help households in immediate crisis - for example, those unable to buy food, pay energy bills or buy other essentials. Payments are small. They are to help you get what you need while you look for support (such as advice on benefits and debt) from other organisations. We will put you in contact with those services if you need them.
In our experience, the households most likely to get a hardship payment are those which include:
- a child (or children) under the age of 16 (or 18 if in full time education)
- a person (or people) with long term health conditions or disabilities
- pensioners
Even if this doesn't apply to you, if you are on a very low income, or have no access to other financial support and are struggling to pay your bills, you should still make an application.
We welcome one application per household. You will be asked questions about your finances, including your income and savings, and you may need to provide proof to support your answers.
To submit an application you can:
- apply online - This is the quickest way to apply. Your application will be assessed and priortised by the Welfare Team.
- call the Welfare Team on 0300 373 3300. We are prioritising calls from high-risk groups
How we use the funding
We are using this funding in a number of ways to provide support including:
- support through our Ways to Welfare
- free school meals
- school clothing grants
- supporting care leavers and foster carers
- supporting the holiday activity and food programme
- providing funding via our Locality Boards