Each authority decides how it wants to spend the money from the Household Support Fund and help can range from free cash payments to supermarket vouchers
Households can get a free cash payment worth £425 to help with the cost of living through the Government’s Household Support Fund scheme.
The 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. However, you can only claim help from the area in which you live.
The government extended the scheme’s funding for another 12 months, from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2025 and East Riding of Yorkshire Council was awarded a further £3.6million to provide support. Since the scheme started in October 2021, Easter Riding has been awarded £14million.
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This year’s funding includes £1.7million for free school meal vouchers for eligible families over school holidays in 2025-26, and £50,000 for the Emergency Assistance Scheme for residents in crisis.
This will provide those struggling to cover essential household bills with a one-off payment of £425. To be eligible, you must live in East Riding in Yorkshire, be responsible for council tax/and or rent, and have a net household income of below a certain amount. The amounts are as follows:
- Single working-age adult: £14,248 per year
- Couple without children: £23,504 per year
- Single parent with one child: £23,504 per year
- Single parent with two or more children: £34,320 per year
- Couple with two children: £34,320 per year
- Single pensioner: £15,964 per year
- Couple pensioners: £26,208 per year.
East Riding Council notes that payments for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) are not included in the net income calculation.
Alongside this, you will need to:
- Be in financial difficulty and unable to meet their living/essential costs
- Not have enough income or savings to meet their eligible costs
- Have savings of less than £1,000.
You can also be eligible for the payment if you are a former relevant care leaver. East Riding Council says it will prioritise applications from those in receipt of a disability benefit with severe health conditions impacted by the cold, such as Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), severe asthma, cardiovascular disease, and sickle cell anaemia, whose financial circumstances are impacted by additional costs such as energy bills.
Applications are now open, and you can make an application for the Household Support Fund payment on East Riding Council’s website. Once you’ve applied, successful applications should see the payment within 20 days.
The council has also provided £387,000 for food banks, healthy homes, heat the person, oil co-operative schemes, and to provide white goods where needed.
Darren Stevens, East Riding of Yorkshire council executive director of corporate resources, said: “We are pleased to be able to support more local residents in need, through our Help for Households campaign. We know that the cost of living can be a real struggle for some families and encourage those in need to apply for funding as soon as possible.”
Additional information about help and advice available from the council can be found at eryc.link/help to find all the cost-of-living support and advice available. Residents can also use the free benefits calculator there to check they are receiving all benefits to which they are entitled.
You cannot claim this support if you do not live in East Riding, 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’s website details its support offerings alongside its eligibility criteria. Usually, it has a separate cost of living tab that details the help on offer.
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 have started to share what help they will offer for this year’s Household Support Fund.
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