Households offered free £200 cost of living payment - how to check eligibility

25 November 2023 , 07:00

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Families could be awarded up to £200 (Image: Getty Images)

Households living in Bromley may be eligible for a free payment of up to £200 to support them with the cost of living.

The help is being issued through Bromley Council as part of the Household Support Fund. The scheme has been funded by the Government since its launch in 2021 in response to growing difficulties for households in paying for basic living needs.

The current round of the Household Support Fund will run until March 2024. Councils receive grants from the Government, then how they choose to spend and prioritise the funding is down to them. Here is what you need to know.

Am I eligible for the Household Support Fund?

Bromley Council plans to target support towards those who are in arrears on their living bills and have been for 3 months or over. To be eligible, Bromley residents will need to provide evidence that they are currently experiencing one of the following:

• Energy arrears of more than three months

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• Rent arrears of more than three months

• Mortgage arrears of more than three months

• Council Tax arrears

• Evidence of other significant financial hardship

Residents can apply for support via an online application, and you can either apply for yourself or for someone else who is eligible. To be eligible, they must also be over 16 and be one of the following:

• A family with school age children

• A care leaver

• A household with someone with a disability including dementia and mental health

• A domestic abuse survivor

• A carer

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• A large family

• A single income family

• A vulnerable household experiencing exceptional financial hardship

This is the second round of the Household Support Fund in Bromley, the first of which - offered in June 2023 - was provided to those who had been referred for eligibility reasons. Anyone who has already received support since June 2023 is not eligible for a second round of support. But residents who received support from the Bromley Household Support Fund before June 2023 will be able to apply for another grant - as long as they meet the aforementioned criteria.

The support will be given as a single £200 payment. It will be received via a £200 Virtual Payment Card which will be sent to successful applicants through email and can be used for online or over-the-phone payments. Those who do not have or provide an email address will instead receive a £200 Sainsbury’s gift card to be used in store.

How do I apply for the funding?

Bromley applicants will need to provide evidence of their situation otherwise the application won’t be considered. Documents which need to be provided include:

• Statement/bill from your energy provider (dated within the last 3 months)

• Statement/letter from your landlord (dated within the last 3 months)

• Statement/letter from your mortgage lender (dated within the last 3 months)

• Council Tax arrears letter

Applications must be done online, so if support is needed you can phone 020 8461 7999 and speak to a member of the Household Support Fund Team who will help you. The application is then reviewed and Bromley Council will get back to you within 15 working days about whether it was successful.

Not all councils offer the same help as Bromley - as each can decide what to do with their grant and to whom they want to target support. To find out what support your local authority offers you should go to their website. If applications are not yet open keep checking regularly - as usually they will only be opened for a strict time period.

Alex Croft