Financial support will be on its way before Christmas to thousands of eligible households to help cover the costs of food and energy bills this winter.

This latest, one-off winter payment is due to be paid to more than 32,000 households who need help the most.

Nottinghamshire County Council continues to work with district and borough councils to help ease some of the financial worries for residents who are struggling to make ends meet, thanks to phase six of the Government’s £5.6 million Household Support Fund (HSF) which runs between 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2025.

Those who will continue to benefit from this support include families with children eligible for Free School Meals or equivalent, those in receipt of Pension Credit, as well as other households and individuals who have been identified by social workers in need of financial support.

Eligible households in the county will be contacted directly by the council during November, so no action needs to be taken by residents.

It’s estimated that they’ll be an average one-off payment of £100 per household, based on the number of eligible people living there.

Councillor Scott Carlton, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health, said:

“We know some households continue to struggle to pay food and energy bills, and with winter coming up, those pressures are only going to increase for many local families.

“We are therefore, pleased to confirm that thousands of families who need financial help will once again receive it through the Household Support Fund.”

“The Government has decided to stop winter fuel payments for all pensioners apart from those entitled to Pension Credits. If you are a pensioner, or if you know someone who you think may be missing out on Pension Credits, visit the Department for Work and Pensions website for Pension Credit eligibility details.”

“Some pensioners who do not quite meet the Pension Credit eligibility threshold may still qualify for Household Support Funding, and our officers will work closely with colleagues from the borough and district councils and various professional bodies to identify those individuals and families.”

“Household Support Funding can assist people in various ways. During the last phase of this fund, more than 700 households were awarded white goods worth a total of £300,000.

“To help even more people who can’t afford basic white goods such as a working fridge or a cooker, this time we have increased the allocation to £400,000 to be spent on goods which will help improve the health and well-being of residents who are most in need, as identified by front-line workers such as social workers and Citizens Advice staff.”

“And to help all residents across the county who need access to help and advice, particularly in light of the rising living costs, a grant of £75,000 is once again being awarded to Citizens Advice to help with its essential costs and volunteer expenses.”

Citizens Advice services across Nottinghamshire have continued to help people with advice and support to make HSF applications during the last round of fund. Since April they supported 711 people to make 868 applications to the scheme and many more to access additional advice and support.

Donna Cumberlidge, Chief Officer at Citizen Advice Nottingham & district, said;

"As local Citizens Advice charities, supporting local people, we welcome the extension of the Household Support Fund and the support from Nottinghamshire County Council.

“We know over the winter more people will continue to need our vital support and this extension will enable us to continue this work across the whole county.

"The nature of our service means that we are able to identify other means of support for our clients and in addition to the HSF fund we are also able to secure additional income and refer to our other services such as debt and housing."

“We are pleased to say were able to secure £8.9 million of additional income for our clients between April and September this year.”

To contact Citizens Advice, please go to https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk

For more details of the Household Support Fund, go to HSF/notts.gov.uk

For details of other help and support available from Nottinghamshire County Council and partners, please see the dedicated webpage: Cost of living support | Nottinghamshire County Council

For those living in the City area, details of the City Council’s Household Support Fund arrangements are available here: www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/householdsupportvouchers

ENDS