Hard-up Brits can apply for FREE cash grants to help with food, clothing and bills this winter – how to get it
HARD-up Brits can apply for FREE cash grants to help pay for food, clothing and bills this winter.
The government has launched a £500million Household Support Fund to help struggling families buy household essentials.
Households will be able to apply for the cash through their local councils, who will get the funds to dish out in October.
The help will replace the Covid local support grant - where families could get up to £1,500 to pay for food, bills and more.
The government hasn't revealed whether you can claim as much as £1,500, or potentially get more, under the new scheme.
It confirmed to The Sun that it is up to each council to decide how much cash each family could get - and how they apply for the help.
If information about the scheme is not listed on your local authority's website, it's best to ring or email for more information.
The Sun has spotted plenty of help available to households across the country, but what you can get depends on where you live.
Families in Derbyshire can get up to £144 to put towards bills, food and living costs.
Those living in West Northampshire could get a £40 voucher to top up their pre-payment energy meter, and can get up to three vouchers over the winter period totalling £120.
In Herefordshire, you can apply for a one-off payment of £60 to help through the winter, and in Durham can get up to £60 in food vouchers in January.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said at the time he announced the support fund: "Everyone should be able to afford the essentials, and we are committed to ensuring that is the case.
"Our new Household Support Fund will provide a lifeline for those at risk of struggling to keep up with their bills over the winter, adding to the support the government is already providing to help people with the cost of living."
It is hoped the cash will help after the £20 uplift to Universal Credit was axed, leaving cash-strapped households worried about how to get by.
It's feared the cut would push 2.3million people into debt after paying their bills, according to research from Citizens Advice.
That's on top of rising energy bills, which are forecast to double to more than £2,000 next year.
A string of energy supplier collapses means millions of customers face paying £400 more to new suppliers taking over their contracts this winter.
Experts have said that the new fund won't be enough to plug the gap as major government help schemes end.
Joseph Rowntree Foundation deputy director Helen Barnard said: "The Household Support Fund is an 11th hour attempt to save face as the Government presses ahead with an unprecedented overnight cut to Universal Credit next week.
“The support available through this fund is provided on a discretionary basis to families facing emergency situations.
"It does not come close to meeting the scale of the challenge facing millions families on low incomes as a cost-of-living crisis looms and our social security system is cut down to inadequate levels."
While Child Poverty Action Group chief executive Alison Garnham said: "Grants offer no stability to millions of struggling households, and will leave far too many out of pocket when the £20 universal credit cut hits.
"Investment in local support is necessary and welcome – but unless government drops the £20 cut, families will still face a living standards crisis this winter and beyond.”
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Here's seven things to know about the Universal Credit £20 uplift cut, and Martin Lewis explains what to do about rising energy bills.
One mum says she is scared to turn the heating on as the Universal Credit cut looms.
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