Cost of living help worth up to £200 to be given to struggling households

The household support fund gives local councils across the UK pots of cash to help residents struggling with the cost of living

Cost of living support worth up to £200 is being offered to struggling households.

The cost of living help comes from the Government's Household Support Fund scheme. This gives local councils a pot of cash which they then use to support those in their communities. Each local authority decides what help they are offering and in Wiltshire, the council has been given £2.7million from the latest round funding. The last round of support saw households receive an average of £200 worth of help and it will likely be the same again this round.

Between now and September, the type of support on offer ranges from food parcels, vouchers to cover energy and food bills, household items and meals. When eligible residents are issued vouchers, they will come in an electronic format with a set amount loaded on to them.

According to Wiltshire Council, anyone who is eligible for help from Wiltshire Council is being contacted by letter or email in the coming few weeks detailing the next steps. This round of funding will target low income households that are struggling to buy food, and pay essential utility bills. The council said people who are homeless or are members of the Gypsy, Roma, Traveller and Boater communities will also be able to claim help.

During the previous funding window which ran from April 2023 to March 2024, the council was allocated about £5.4 million, which was spent on 87 schemes. Of these, 23 were provided by the council and 64 through third sector partners such as Wiltshire Community Foundation, Age UK Wiltshire, Citizens Advice, FearLess, Centre for Sustainable Energy, Turning Point and a number of Housing Associations

The Household Support Fund was initially launched in October 2021, and in the spring budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt extended the scheme again by another six months until September 2024, giving it an extra £500million in funding. Since its launch, it has been given around £3billion from the central Government.

Support offered through the Households Support Fund scheme usually consists of free cash payments, supermarket and energy vouchers, and extra Council Tax support. Local councils are currently announcing what help they will be offering over the coming few months. To find out what this is you should go to your local council's website.