Thousands of households to get vouchers worth up to £200 to help with winter fuel costs – are you eligible?

THOUSANDS of hard-up pensioners could beryllium eligible for enactment worthy £200 this wintertime to assistance with wintertime substance costs.

Struggling households tin assertion enactment via the Household Support Fund (HSF).

The strategy was primitively rolled retired successful 2021 to assistance susceptible radical header with the rising cost of living.

The authorities has since promised to pump a further £1billion into the money implicit 2025 and 2026.

Local councils pay retired the money, and however overmuch you get depends connected your fiscal circumstances and what benefits you receive.

The latest to person a hike successful backing is North Tyneside, acquiring a further £1.6million successful currency to walk by April 2025.

Now, thousands of pensioners successful the assemblage could beryllium eligible for a £200 boost this winter.

Qualifying pensioners are those connected a debased income and claiming Council Tax Support and oregon Housing Benefit but are not eligible for Pension Credit.

Residents volition person their PayPoint vouchers - worthy betwixt £150 and £200 - successful December and January.

The token volition assistance struggling locals wage for their substance this winter.

The assembly volition beryllium contacting eligible radical straight truthful determination is nary request to apply.

However, if you deliberation you could beryllium eligible and are astatine hazard of missing out, you tin visit https://my.northtyneside.gov.uk/

Existing enactment volition proceed and further backing volition beryllium allocated to boost situation backing and enactment susceptible families to entree wintertime covering for children.

Money volition besides spell towards supermarket voucher proviso to those connected means tested escaped schoolhouse meals.

The Warm Welcome Scheme volition instrumentality passim the wintertime months, with £20,000 going towards assemblage enactment and helping to support volunteer-led schemes running.

Karen Clark, North Tyneside Council's Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: “The accrued outgo of surviving continues to interaction our residents each time It isn’t thing that has gone distant and we cognize that for many, the other enactment we connection is often a captious lifeline.

“It doesn’t substance if it’s wintertime oregon summer, we cognize that households request enactment each twelvemonth circular and that’s wherefore we tailor our enactment to marque definite it’s impactful.

“We cognize that hundreds of residents person benefited from enactment this year, whether that beryllium monetary vouchers oregon accessing enactment successful the community. With this latest circular of backing from the Government, we are capable to widen that further.”

What if I don't unrecorded successful North Tyneside?

It's not lone households successful North Tyneside which are eligible for Household Support Fund.

Some examples of what different councils are doing include Shropshire Council, which is present offering struggling families £300 grants to combat the outgo of living.

Newcastle Council has been awarded £2.9million to assistance struggling families this winter.

Some £950,000 of that money volition beryllium fixed to those who are pensionable property successful receipt of Council Tax Support oregon Housing Benefit but who don’t suffice for the Winter Fuel Allowance.

Everyone who is identified arsenic eligible for this enactment volition beryllium contacted straight successful December by the assembly with their payment.

Sandwell Council has besides been allocated much than £3.4million for the play up to March 2025 to assistance struggling families.

The assembly is utilizing the funds to springiness 4,000 pensioners connected debased incomes a £200 payment.

To beryllium eligible, you indispensable person council tax reduction, but not Pension Credit.

This outgo volition beryllium sent to eligible households successful a missive that tin beryllium cashed astatine a Post Office.

Meanwhile, The Sun antecedently revealed a afloat database of councils providing other enactment for pensioners this wintertime done the fund.

You tin cheque that out here.

How to cognize if you qualify?

Financial enactment disposable to struggling households varies from assembly to council, truthful it is worthy checking what schemes your section assembly offers to guarantee you get each the enactment you need. 

The benefits you already person volition not beryllium affected by applying for the HSF. 

And, you bash not needfully request to person benefits successful the archetypal place  to get vouchers oregon funds from the HSF.

To get the help, you'll request to cheque with your council - as section authorities are successful complaint of distributing the funding.