Thousands of households can apply for £190 free cash, check if you’re eligible

As a lot of UK families struggle to make ends meet and prices never seem to stop rising, local councils take initiative to help those residents who need it most.

Thanks to the Household Support Fund, £190 in free cash are now available to thousands of people. Check if you are eligible.

What is the Household Support Fund?

The Household Support Fund is a Government initiative designed to tackle the impact of the cost of living crisis. The money is meant to ease the struggle families face and is allocated through the local councils.

The Household Support Fund was set to finish this March but was recently extended until spring next year.

The move will give each local council a pot of cash to help those most affected by the crisis. Each authority will get to decide how it's spent, and to whom they offer support.

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How much will families get?

Warrington Borough Council is just one of many councils that offer payments to stressed-out families. It has just announced that £190 in free cash will be available to those in Warrington with low income.

The authority will be giving eligible households eight separate cash payments throughout this and the beginning of next year totalling £190.

Their website says that the first instalment of £20 was made before the Easter school holidays. Another payment of £20 is expected in May.

Further transfers are planned for the Summer holiday, October half-term, Christmas, next year's February half-term and Easter 2024.

Warrington Council reiterates that the payments are not a loan and you will never be asked to repay them.

The payments also won't affect your eligibility for any other benefits you may receive.

Check if you are eligible

Those eligible can choose to receive the payments directly into their bank account through BACS transfer, or they can choose to receive their payments as vouchers.

Warrington Council said the support would be directed at ‘three specific groups’: parents whose children are in receipt of free school meals, people on council tax support or housing benefit, and pensioners on pension credit or council tax support /housing benefit.

If you received household support funding over winter last year, then you will not need to apply for the help now and you should automatically get it for 2023-2024.

If you haven't received the help before, then you can apply online through Warrington Council's website.

Find more information about the Household Support Fund on the UK Government's website. You can check with your local council what help is available for you.

Read more:

⋙ Thousands offered £650 free cash by government but the deadline is coming soon

⋙ Millions to get extra £300 payment this year, find out if you're eligible

Sources used:

- Mirror: 'Thousands of families eligible for free cash worth £190 - how to apply'