THOUSANDS of hard-up households could get a free £65 payment paid straight into their bank accounts before Christmas.
The help is being dished out under a new round of £421million funding given by the government to the Household Support Fund.
Councils have been given a slice of the new pot of funding on offer, which will be given out to struggling residents to help pay for bills and essentials.
Bradford council has revealed that thousands of households will get £65 direct into their accounts.
You’ll need to be in receipt of a council tax reduction due to low income to get the cash.
An extra £20 will be paid for every eligible child that lives in the home too.
Residents don’t need to apply for the payments.
If you pay your council tax through direct debit then you’ll get the money into your account by December 9.
If you don’t pay your bill by direct debit then you’ll be sent a voucher that you can exchange at your local Post Office for cash.
Make sure to keep an eye on the council’s website for updates about the scheme.
Can I get help if I don’t live in Bradford?
Yes – you can still get help under the Household Support Fund.
What support you can get will vary, because each council is in charge of how to spend the funding available.
Some decide to dish the help out automatically, while you’ll need to apply in other cases.
Some councils choose to distribute funding in the form of vouchers, while others give out cash payments.
To get more information on what support is available, and how to get it, you’ll need to contact your local council.
You can find yours using the gov.uk council checker tool.
What can I get?
Councils are currently deciding how to distribute their new round of funding.
That means, in a lot of cases, households won’t know exactly what they can get under the latest round of support just yet.
But in the last round of funding, you could get up to £500 in free cash support from some councils – like Bromsgrove and Redditch.
Residents of Effingham, near Guildford, could get up to £300 free cash to help them through the cost of living crisis.
While Lewisham Council sent payments to families with children receiving free school meals, and pensioner households if they apply for the help.
What other help can I get?
Millions of households started receiving a £400 energy bill discount from October 1.
Households will have already received a £66 energy bill discount in October and November’s will be coming soon if you haven’t had it already.
There will also be a payment worth £67 in December, January, February and March.
Households on pension credit or low incomes may qualify for the warm home discount scheme worth £150.
If you’re pregnant or have a child under the age of four, then you may qualify for Healthy Start vouchers to help pay for basic foods such as milk or fruit.
You can apply for free school meals for your child if you’re claiming certain benefits including Universal Credit.
British Gas has confirmed it’ll pay its most vulnerable customers grants worth £750 to help with sky-high bills.
For the full list of help available this winter see our guide.
Plus, here are five ways struggling families can get free cash to help pay for food this Christmas.
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