THOUSANDS of households can get vital cost of living help worth up to £140 – and you can apply within days.
The help is available to hard-up households in Leicestershire via the £421million Household Support Fund.
The Household Support Fund has been extended to April 2023, and an extra £1billion has been added to the pot.
Councils have been given a slice of the new funding on offer, which will be given out to struggling residents to help pay for bills and essentials.
If you don't know who your local council is, you can check here. You'll just need to pop in your post code.
The vouchers or grants on offer vary by location, so what you can get varies.
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You usually have to be on a low income to get the help and you either have to apply for the help, or it is paid automatically – check to see how your council will pay you.
Cash-strapped households in the Leicestershire County Council catchment area can apply for up to £140 in vouchers in just days.
You will be able to apply for the help from Tuesday, January 3, but you will need to be referred to the fund.
Schools, food banks, your local GP, and local charities or voluntary organisations can refer you.
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The support on offer includes either food vouchers, or fuel vouchers.
Here's what food voucher help you can get if you qualify, and you'll get the vouchers for a maximum of two weeks:
- Households with children: £20 per adult per week, and £15 per child per week
- Single households: £25 per week
- Multiple adult households: £20 per adult per week
For example, a household with two adults and two children could get a total of £140 over a two week period.
You can spend the vouchers at supermarkets including Asda, Aldi, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco
If you qualify for fuel vouchers, families will get £98, and for single households, it's £56.
When you receive your vouchers, you will also get details on how to redeem them.
The deadline to apply is March 31, 2023, and you should ask your local council for more details on how to be referred, and how to apply.
Can I get help if I don't live in Leicestershire?
Yes you can. The Household Support Fund has been made available to councils across England.
But whether you're entitled to a payment will depend on where you live.
That's because each council decides who to offer payments to.
However, usually payments are made to households on benefits and low incomes as that's an indicator of financial struggle.
Payments don't always come as bank transfers. Sometimes residents are offered vouchers to redeem at supermarkets or the Post Office.
Thousands of residents in Stoke-on-Trent are being offered food vouchers worth £50.
Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council is offering thousands of households up to £350 in cash support.
What other bill help can I get?
If you're not in line for help via the Household Support Fund, there's other help on offer.
A lot of energy companies offer struggling customers grants to help pay for their energy bills.
British Gas, EDF Energy and Scottish Power are just a few.
The British Gas Energy Trust for example can write off debts, and you don't even have to be a customer to apply for help.
The maximum grant usually offered to households is £750, but those in "exceptional circumstances" can get as much as £1,500.
For the full list of firms offering help, you can read our guide here.
Millions of households should be in the process of receiving the £400 energy rebate too.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
The payment has been split into six instalments to be paid between October this year and March 2023.
In most cases, the payments are being applied as discounts to people's energy bills.
But households on prepayment meters have to redeem vouchers issued to them at their nearest top up point.
Plus, in November, chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced millions of households will receive extra cost of living payments.
If you're eligible for all three payments, that could mean a total handout of £1,350.
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