Eligible households are being handed a one-off £85 cost of living payment (Image: Getty)
Households living in one part of the UK and receiving certain benefits are being handed direct £85 cost of living payments before April.
The payment comes as part of the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Household Support Fund which provides local councils across England with a share of a funding pot worth £742million. The fund helps vulnerable homes pay for essential living costs over the winter months, including energy bills, food and other essentials and while this particular scheme applies in Calderdale, other local councils are giving out cost of living support in other parts of the UK too until the scheme comes to an end on March 31, 2026.
Local councils independently decide how to distribute their allotted funding so depending on where you live, there may be different qualifying criteria and support can vary from location to location, with supermarket vouchers, direct payments, Post Office vouchers and energy bill credit among the help available.
In West Yorkshire, Calderdale Council is issuing payments of up to £85 to eligible households in receipt of Council Tax Reduction and Housing Benefit.
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The payments will be awarded to those who qualify between now and March 31 in the form of a direct payment into your bank account.
Households with children or a known disability will receive one payment of £85, and single people or couples with no children or disability will receive a payment of £40.
Calderdale Council said: “We have received funds from the Department for Work and Pensions to support households in hardship. Funds cover the period from April 2025 to March 2026.
“All eligible households in receipt of Council Tax Reduction and Housing Benefit can now register. You will receive:
- Households with children: £85
- Households with known disability: £85
- Singles/couples with no children or disability: £40
“For households with children and a known disability, only one payment of £85 can be awarded. Please allow seven working days for the payment to arrive in your bank before you contact us.”
The council adds that anyone can apply for extra financial support through its additional Discretionary Scheme, but you must be liable to pay Council Tax and/or energy bills at a Calderdale address, and you must provide your last two bank statements for yourself and your partner for all accounts held.
A maximum of two awards for £85 each will be considered as part of this scheme. The application period for the first award has now closed, but the second period is open between now and March 31, 2026.
As Household Support Fund cash is distributed independently by local councils in England, it means that the cost of living support available will vary by location, with different vouchers or grants up for grabs up and down the country.
The DWP says there may also be differences in who the money is given to and if or how you need to apply for the support, as some local councils opt to share the money out through local charities and community groups, while some limit household applications to one per year.
For example, households in Staffordshire can get a one off £300 utility payment made direct to their utility provider via the scheme, residents in Calderdale can get a maximum of two payments of £85, amounting to £170 worth of support in total, and residents of State Pension age in North Lincolnshire are being offered free air fryers, slow cookers and kettles.
In the East Midlands, households in Nottingham can apply for £100 vouchers to spend in supermarkets, and in South Yorkshire, Doncaster Council is giving eligible households up to £300 towards food costs, while other households can qualify for a £100 payment to go towards energy bills.
In the East of England, Cambridgeshire County Council is issuing £110 to eligible households in the form of direct payments or supermarket vouchers, and residents in Surrey can get up to £300 worth of supermarket vouchers to spend in stores including Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s.