Covid local support grant: How to claim up to £1,500 in help towards food, bills and essentials
HARD-UP Brits in England can get up to £1,500 cash to help pay for food, bills and other essentials, The Sun can reveal.
In an investigation we found councils are handing out hundreds of pounds to families who’ve been struggling during the pandemic.
Local authorities were given £429million to dish out to vulnerable residents as part of its Covid Winter Support Grant in December, following pressure from footballer and anti-poverty campaigner Marcus Rashford.
But the payments vary based on where you live and how much support you need.
The Sun has asked 25 councils how much residents in their areas can access through the scheme, which was renamed the Covid Local Support Grant.
Councils handed out almost all of the £270million they were given between December 2020 and June 2021.
The scheme has now been extended to run until the end of September, giving families extra to get help.
Myron Jobson, personal finance campaigner at Interactive Investor, said: “The perils of those reeling from the Covid pinch won’t disappear overnight once the scheme is wound up.
“More needs to be done to address the underlying drivers of financial hardship and break cycles of poverty.
“It is also important that those affected continue to pay attention to their financial wellbeing and take the necessary action and explore different support available - be it benefits, food banks - to shore up their position."
It handed out grants of £400 to families struggling to pay their energy bills, which covered a four week period.
A further £2,000 was also donated to the local food bank, which was able to distribute fuel vouchers to its users.
For example, West Sussex council gave vouchers to households living in fuel poverty.
That is when your bills are above average levels, and paying them leaves you with leftover income below the official poverty line.
In Oxfordshire, eligibility is assessed by staff at the council or local advice centres on a case by case basis.
Other council used existing benefit schemes, such as free school meals and council tax reductions, to determine eligibility.
Local authority are also working with schools and community organisations to identify families and individuals in need of extra help.
For example, Manchester Council extended the free school meals scheme to include any child identified as being in need by teachers.
How to apply
Grants are often given on a case-by-case basis, with different application processes in place across the country.
Councils also have different amounts to spend depending on the size and needs of their local population.
For example, Birmingham Council was recently handed an extra £4.9million, bringing its total to £13.1million.
But the affluent London borough of Richmond-upon-Thames has received £850,267 in total, and received £317,042 for the final months of the scheme.
This means that each local authority has different criteria for applications and eligibility.
To apply you first need to identify which local authority area you live in.
Then you should visit the council’s website and find the relevant page for information on the Covid Local Support Grant.
If you can’t find the information online, visit the website’s “contact us” section, and either email or phone your council to find out how to apply in your area.
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