It is believed that thousands of households are missing out on a £300 payment as part of the £421 million Household Support Fund (HSF). The money has been allocated to councils across the country by the government and in some areas there is only a matter of weeks to apply for the payment.
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Eligible residents in Guildford will receive up to £400 transferred directly into their bank account this month, meanwhile in Harrow there is just a couple of weeks left to apply for a £300 payment, as per The Sun.
Harrow
In order to be eligible for the scheme in Harrow, the council has stipulated you must meet all the following criteria, as per Harrow Council:
- You must not have been entitled to a 'Cost of Living Payment' for Low Income and Tax Credits or Disability.
- You must be liable for energy fuel for the property in which you live.
- No one else in your household has already received an award under this Household Support Fund application scheme.
In addition you must also meet one of the following criteria:
- Started to receive a Qualifying means-tested benefit between 26 May 2022 and 30 September 2022.
- Started to receive a Qualifying disability benefit between 26 May 2022 and 30 September 2022.
- For the period 26 April 2022 to 30 September 2022 you were in receipt of Housing Benefit; and have not received any of the qualifying benefits set out in the above two criteria; and have not received a voucher payment of £100 from the Council under the Household Support Fund.
Rest of the country
If you don't live in Harrow, you should still be able to get help as many councils across the country are distributing funds. How the help is being distributed depends on where you live so it’s a bit of a postcode lottery.
In order to check if your council still has funds to distribute in your area you should go to your local council’s website and find out as there could be a deadline fast approaching.
Some councils are giving cash and some vouchers to help people pay for energy bills, food and other everyday essentials. This includes households on housing benefit, because this group was not eligible for the £650 cost of living payment or £150 disability cost of living payment, as per The Sun.
The vouchers can be used to buy food and essential items and can be redeemed at major high street supermarkets and retailers like Argos and Currys. However, the vouchers will expire after three months so need to be redeemed quickly.
Sources used:
- The Sun 'Thousands of families have just weeks left to apply for £300 free cash – can you claim?'
- Harrow Council 'Household Support Fund'
