Thousands of people could be entitled to a payment this week to help combat rising energy bills.
On July 8, a number of local councils will pay the money directly into the bank accounts of those in struggling households. The financial aid is being given as part of the Household Support Fund - set up in response to the cost of living crisis.
The government has said that the grant will be distributed to support vulnerable households meet daily needs such as food, clothing and utilities. Anybody with council tax reductions, housing benefit or who claims Universal Credit can apply for the payment. Some local authorities are offering as much as £200 in financial support.
READ MORE: People to see boost to pay packets from tomorrow amid cost of living crisis
Some councils are giving the cash out automatically, while others will need to apply directly. The government said: "The new Household Support Fund will be distributed by councils in England to directly help those who need it most. The grant will be distributed through small payments to support vulnerable households meet daily needs such as food, clothing, and utilities."
"The fund has been extended to September 30, 2022 with an additional £500 million of funding which will be used by local authorities to support vulnerable households," the government added.
Support for people in Greater Manchester will vary depending on individual circumstances and local council authority. We have reached out to each borough council in the city-region for details on what support is available, who is eligible, and how people can receive assistance.
Manchester
As part of the Household Support Fund, Manchester Council will be supporting vulnerable residents with a number of automatic payments.
The scheme in Manchester will consist of £50 payments to working age residents in receipt of Council Tax Support, £50 payments to households where someone is under 25 and classed as a Care Leaver, £50 payments to residents who are classed as Severely Mentally Impaired for Council Tax purposes and a £160 payment to pension age residents on Council Tax Support.
Some residents who are pension age will only receive £50 rather than £160 if they have a partner living with them who is working age.
To support children and families, Manchester Council will be providing two payments to children eligible for Free School Meals. These payments will be issued by schools in Manchester and will consist of a £15 payment per pupil in June 2022 and a £40 payment in Summer 2022.
Those eligible who pay council tax by Direct Debit will automatically receive the payment into the bank account used on the account, while those who pay for council tax in cash or have no council tax to pay will be sent a letter with a Post Office Payout voucher which can be cashed at any local Post Office branch.
Manchester Council said payments will be made, and letters will be sent, in the coming weeks with more information to be announced at a later date. As part of the scheme, the council is also providing £300k to the community and voluntary sector.
Wigan
Grant awards for people in Wigan will be made automatically to families receiving free school meals during the school holidays. Qualifying households will either receive a payment directly into their bank account or by a voucher that they can take along to their local Post Office to exchange for cash.
Wigan Council said that 8,739 families have been supported by the scheme so far. 14,017 children who benefitted from support during the previous school holidays will be supported again during the six-week summer holidays.
Pensioner households in receipt of council tax reduction in Wigan will also be automatically eligible for support. They will receive a voucher that they can take along to their local Post Office to exchange for cash.
Wigan’s scheme will also offer support to other vulnerable households, this includes and is not exhaustive to: Families not in receipt of means tested free school meals, pensioner households not in receipt of Council Tax Reduction, households without children, individuals and care leavers.
Types of support available include energy vouchers for households with pre-paid meters and support towards bills for households without pre-paid meters, and food pantry vouchers. Households and individuals are able to apply for support themselves by visiting www.wigan.gov.uk/localwelfaresupport and completing the online application form or by phone 01942 705221 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm).
Tameside
Tameside Council are accepting support requests for assistance with food, energy, water and other essentials. The scheme is open to Tameside residents in low income households. This is determined through those entitled to free school meals or free prescriptions, those in receipt of benefits (including income-related benefits, tax credits, Council Tax Reduction, Carer’s Allowance & Universal Credit), and an equivalisation calculation based on income for in work households where benefits are not claimed.
Eligible applicants could receive a £25 payment per person for food purchases, a £100 per household payment for gas, electric and water bills, or a £50 per person payment to provide support for essentials linked to energy and water (such as warm clothing, sanitary products, blankets, and household equipment).
Households can also apply for one off payments in exceptional circumstances where other avenues of support have been exhausted. In exceptional cases, a request can also be made to support housing costs where existing housing support schemes do not meet the exceptional need.
Councillor Eleanor Wills, Tameside Council Executive Member for Population Health and Well-being said: ‘’Since the pandemic, many households budgets have been tight and so I urge everyone who is struggling to access this vital support and apply for the scheme.’’
Applications can be made via the Tameside Council website. Those unable to complete the online form can contact their JCP Work Coach, Tameside Council Customer Services (email customer.services@tameside.gov.uk or call 0161 342 8355) or Citizens Advice Bureau for support. All applications will be assessed for eligibility, and applicants will be asked to supply evidence.
Drop-in sessions will be held weekly on Tuesday and Thursdays from July 12 between 9am-12.30pm on Level 1 of Tameside One, Ashton-Under-Lyne, OL6 0GS. Anyone wanting information or help with the application can attend and should bring a bank statement from the last three months with them.
Bury
Bury Council said it has been given an allocation of approximately £1.5 million to support those most affected in the borough by rising energy bills and the pandemic.
Every pensioner who receives council tax benefit - approximately 4,700 people - is set to receive a cash payment of £100 under new measures which are to go before the cabinet next week. As part of the plans, the council is also set to allocate £630,000 to continue free school meals during the holidays, a further £120,000 pot for pensioners in hardship and £175,000 for those of working age, and £40,000 to support foodbanks.
Councillors will consider the strategy when the cabinet meets next Wednesday (July 13) with further details to be announced. Councillor Richard Gold, cabinet member for communities and finance, said: “Our plan for post-pandemic recovery has to be about more than simply helping people get through the day-to-day struggle. We also need to put in place measures that will help people become more resilient over the long term.”
Rochdale
Rochdale Borough Council said it is investing £3.3 million to support older residents and households most in need as part of the Household Support Fund.
The council's financial support will help people in Rochdale meet the costs of food, household items and energy costs. The scheme will also help support food banks, food clubs and food pantries, and will also be used to supply support packs, including nappies, baby food and sanitary products, to those in need.
The council will also continue to provide free school meals over the summer to pupils from low income households. Eligible families will be contacted directly regarding e-vouchers, which are expected to benefit around 13,000 children.
Councillor Neil Emmott, leader of Rochdale Borough Council, said: “As the national cost of living crisis really takes grip, we are ensuring that local support is provided for those most in need. I have always said that, as a responsible council, we will ensure that the vulnerable, older people and young families are helped and protected. Our wide-ranging package of support is a further vital safety net, building on the winter support package we successfully delivered.”
He added: “It’s only a few months since around 28,000 universal credit claimants in our borough lost £20 per week. That was money to put food on the table, heat their homes and provide clothes for their children. That’s why we topped up the household support funding, helping to ensure thousands of residents don’t go hungry, are unable to feed their family, or are frightened of turning their heating on.”
More details about the Household Support Fund for Rochdale residents can be found here. Rochdale Borough Council will also be holding a 'Money Max Roadshow' at the Middleton Arena on July 13 to provide residents with help and support on money.
Oldham
Oldham Council said the Household Support Fund will help residents in the borough in a number of ways, including fuel vouchers, cash payments and the support of voluntary sectors.
Residents who are working but in receipt of council tax reduction will be automatically granted £25, while anyone of pension age in receipt of council tax reduction will automatically receive £110. More information can be found here.
The council has set aside £80,000 to provide those in emergency need with fuel vouchers and for emergency boiler repair or replacement services .£60,000 will also be distributed within Oldham’s voluntary sector partners to help provide warm clothing, bedding, essential items for the elderly and support for those with no recourse to public funds.
Bolton
Bolton Council has been granted £2.78 million to support residents as part of the Household Support Fund. Bolton residents aged 16 and over will be able to apply for support.
Residents who have reached state pension age and who receive Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support will be provided with additional help. Anyone who is eligible will be contacted by the council later this year. Children eligible for free school meals will continue to receive vouchers during the holiday period and will be automatically set to those who meet the criteria.
Those in immediate need of support with fuel or food are advised to contact their local welfare provision via the Bolton Council website.
A Bolton Council spokesperson said:: “Bolton residents aged 16 and over who are struggling with their energy bills, or other essentials, can apply for help from the Household Support Fund via the council’s website. Applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis and funding is awarded depending on eligibility criteria such as income and expenditure.”
Stockport
Stockport Council is supporting residents struggling financially with support for food, fuel and travel costs. Support for caring responsibilities and home schooling is also being provided.
Support varies but can include food bank referrals, prepayment top-ups, bus tickets and clothing vouchers. More information on applying for support can be found here.
Trafford
Low income households in Trafford are encouraged to make an application for support with food, fuel and water balls. Those eligible for the Household Support Fund will receive payment via their bank account, or via a voucher if they do not have a bank account.
Pensioner households in receipt of council tax support should have been automatically issued a £100 voucher in April to help with food and bills. More information can be found here.
Those eligible for free school meals over the summer holidays and who live in Trafford will be asked to apply online for support of £15 per week per child. Schools are expected to email residents with more information this month. Children attending a Trafford school but who do not live in Trafford will be automatically sent a supermarket voucher through their school.
Salford
Eligible residents in Salford can receive support in the form of vouchers to help assist with purchasing food, heating homes and paying for energy, water and utility bills.
Salford Council said the Household Support Fund has already helped thousands of residents in the borough. Salford City Council's Salford Assist team has provided eligible residents with help with food, fuel, gas and electricity, furniture and white goods.
Councillor Sharmina August, Lead Member for Inclusive Economy, Anti-Poverty and Equalities said: “Tackling poverty is a key priority for many years in Salford, and whilst we have made great progress, this cost of living crisis will see things get worse for many people.
“Salford City Council provides a wide range of support based on people’s needs through vouchers, goods and signposting to further help such as benefits checks and debt advice to try and prevent people falling into crisis again. We assess people individually to make sure the right support for each person is put in place.
“At present we are offering support through the second round of the Household Support Fund (HSF). We had 7,162 applications for help during the first round which ran for six months and since re-opening it on 1 May we have had 4010 applications. These range from help with fuel bills to us providing beds and other furniture.
“Over the summer holiday the council is working with 37 different organisations to offer a summer programme of holiday activities with healthy food, which is free for children who are eligible for free school meals. We recognised holiday hunger was an issue back in 2019 when the council offered parents £30 for each child on free school meals to help provide healthy lunches over the summer holiday. This summer we will be offering parents of children eligible for free school meals £65 in shopping vouchers.
“The council’s Salford Assist scheme runs all year round to help people in crisis who need emergency food, fuel or household goods.”
Salford residents do not need to be in receipt of benefits to apply for support but will need to provide evidence that they do not have the funds themselves to purchase the items requested. Residents can apply via the Salford Council website. Alternatively, you can call Salford Council on 0800 011 3998 (Monday to Friday, 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 4pm).
NI boosts
Many people will also start to see a boost in their pay packets this month as they grapple with bills. From July 6, the threshold at which people pay National Insurance (NI) will increase.
The move follows a controversial 1.25 percentage point increase in NI in April, to help pay for health and social care, which came amid a string of other bill hikes, including a jump in the energy price gap. But starting thresholds for paying NI starting will now rise from £9,880 to £12,570 from July 6.
The government has previously said this will benefit nearly 30 million working people with a typical employee saving over £330 in the year from July. 70 per cent of workers who pay National Insurance contributions (NICs) will pay less, even after accounting for the health and social care levy, the government said previously.
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