People across England will be able to receive help through the Household Support Fund as it is set to be extended.

An additional £842 million will be allocated to local authorities across the country from April 1 to support the most vulnerable households in England.

The funding has been allocated by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and can be used to help people pay for energy bills or groceries.

Those wanting to find out what support is available in their local area should visit their Local Authority’s website or contact their local council office.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

Mims Davies, DWP minister for social mobility, youth and progression, said: “The Household Support Fund has already helped vulnerable families across England through these challenging times and I am pleased it will continue to do so for another full year.

“This is just one part of our extensive and targeted £26 billion support package, which includes payments worth £900 for millions of people on benefits and additional support for disabled people and pensioners, whilst every household will continue to save money thanks to our Energy Price Guarantee.

“We also know that bearing down on inflation is one of the best ways to help families cope with rising bills, which is why the Prime Minister has made halving inflation this year one of his top priorities.” 

Councils in England have the flexibility to decide how best to spend their allocation to support people in their local area quickly and efficiently, drawing from local knowledge and direct contact with people in the community. This builds on the similar support provided over the past 18 months, with the Household Support Fund now worth over £2 billion across its lifetime.

It has previously been used in a variety of different ways since its inception to support those most in need. For example, Leicestershire County Council have worked with Leicester City Football Club to create community cooking events, whilst Bexley Council established an energy café to provide energy resource packs and advice on energy consumption.

Elsewhere, Blackpool Council set up a scheme so families and pensioners in need could get vouchers for food direct from their local market stalls, whilst Wokingham delivered over 650 energy saving packs to those in need, with items such as air fryers, slow cookers, heated blankets and LED lightbulbs included.