Hundreds of pensioners to get £200 cost of living voucher before Christmas to help with energy bills

HUNDREDS of pensioners are to person a £200 outgo of surviving voucher to assistance with vigor bills conscionable successful clip for Christmas.

The fiscal boost comes via the latest circular of the Household Support Fund which is worthy a staggering £421million.

The money is designed to assistance hard-up households screen the cost of living, mostly done currency grants, supermarket and energy vouchers.

Each assembly across England has been allocated a stock of the £421million cookware and decides who to distribute money to.

Pensioner households successful Reading who are nary longer eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment could and who are successful receipt of enactment from the Council Tax Reduction strategy and/or Housing Benefit are to beryllium sent a voucher worthy £200.

The Council already clasp the details of astir 1,100 residents who are eligible, with vouchers being automatically distributed from December.

The £200 voucher volition beryllium posted successful December and recipients person until 10 February 2025 to currency the voucher.

But retrieve - aft this date, vouchers cannot beryllium cashed in.

A Household Support Fund assistance of £1,130,648 was confirmed for Reading to supply outgo of surviving enactment to households successful the astir need.

This includes those who whitethorn not beryllium eligible for different enactment the authorities has precocious made available.

Reading's Council Leader Liz Terry said: "We cognize from the fig of radical approaching the Council for enactment that the cost-of-living situation has not gone away.

"We besides cognize the Council’s vouchers can mean the quality betwixt putting nutrient connected the array oregon being capable to wage for heating.

"This twelvemonth the Council has chosen to additionally usage immoderate of the backing disposable to nonstop enactment to pensioners successful Reading nary longer eligible for the Winter Fuel Allowance, but who are besides successful receipt of enactment done the Council Tax simplification strategy and / oregon Housing Benefit.

"We are grateful to the Government for acknowledging the value of the Household Support Fund strategy to section councils and for extending it done the winter."

What if I don't unrecorded successful Reading?

Each assembly across England has been allocated a stock from the £421million pot.

But each section authorization gets to determine its ain eligibility criteria.

That means what you are entitled to volition alteration depending connected wherever you live.

Not all councils have decided what they volition bash with their stock of the £421million yet either.

The champion happening to bash is interaction your section authorization to spot if immoderate assistance is presently connected offer.

You tin find what assembly country you autumn nether by the utilizing the Government's assembly locator instrumentality via gov.uk.

The Sun precocious shared a usher and interactive representation to assistance those unsure fig retired what they whitethorn beryllium capable to claim.

Other assistance connected offer

If you're not eligible for the Household Support Fund, you mightiness beryllium capable to get a assistance from your vigor steadfast to screen vigor debt.

British Gas is handing retired grants worthy £1,700 to struggling households done its Individual and Families Fund.

The money is disposable to British Gas and non-British Gas customers surviving successful England, Scotland oregon Wales.

You won't beryllium eligible if you received a assistance from the British Gas Energy Trust wrong the past 2 years.

And you indispensable beryllium seeking a assistance to wide outstanding indebtedness connected a existent oregon unfastened gas, energy oregon dual substance vigor account.

Crucially, you besides request to person received assistance from a wealth proposal bureau wrong the past six months.

If you don'y suffice for assistance with British Gas, a fig of different vigor firms connection assistance to customers struggling with vigor measure debt.

This includes OVO, Boost, E.On, E.On Next, EDF, Scottish Power, Octopus, Shell Energy, SSE and Utilita.