Thousands of households can claim a free cash payment worth £100 to help with the cost of living as the government’s Household Support Fund scheme reopens.
This is a government-funded scheme – first launched in 2021 and run by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) – that has given local councils pots of cash to support struggling households in their area. Each authority decides how it wants to spend the money, and help can range from free cash payments to supermarket vouchers.
The scheme was meant to end in March this year, however, it was extended by the Labour government for an extra year with another £742million worth of funding. It will now be in place until March 2026.
Torbay Council has reopened their Household Support Fund scheme for residents living in the area and is giving away one-off payments of £100. This free payment can be used towards fuel, water, or food costs.
However, not everyone is eligible for the help. Households living in Torbay can receive it if they claim the following DWP benefits:
And either claim, Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payments (PIP), or Attendance Allowance and have dependent children living with you. Torbay Council says it will only be making one £100 payment per household in this round of funding – unless the scheme is “undersubscribed”.
WHATSAPP GROUP: Get money news and top deals straight to your phone by joining our Money WhatsApp group here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
NEWSLETTER: Or sign up to the Mirror’s Money newsletter here for all the best advice and shopping deals straight to your inbox.
You cannot claim this support if you do not live in Torbay, however you are able to claim help from your local council through their own Household Support Fund scheme. Due to this system, it means it can be a postcode lottery for the support you can get.
Each council details what support they are offering on their website – alongside its eligibility criteria. Usually, they will have a separate cost of living tab which details the help on offer.
For all you savvy savers and bargain hunters out there, there’s a golden opportunity to stretch your pounds further. The Money Saving Club newsletter, a favourite among thousands who thrive on catching the best deals, is stepping up its game.
Simply follow the link and select one or more of the following topics to get all the latest deals and advice on: Travel; Property; Pets, family and home; Personal finance; Shopping and discounts; Utilities.
Each council will also have a different application process for the scheme. Some ask you to apply online, while others ask you to apply over the phone. Some councils are also reaching out to those eligible directly.
You can find out who your local council is through the official Gov.uk page here. All you need to do is enter your postcode by using this link to see who your local authority is. Local councils will begin to share what help it will be offering over the next few weeks for this year’s Household Support Fund.
From universal credit to furlough, employment rights, travel updates and emergency financial aid – we’ve got all of the big financial stories you need to know about right now.
Sign up to our Mirror Money newsletter here.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
