Household support fund
Low income households
Pensioner households not entitled to Winter Fuel payments this year, but known to be on low incomes and in receipt of Council Tax Support and/or Housing Benefit, will receive £200 from the Council through the Government’s Household Support Fund.
These households have already been identified and contacted and payments are in the process of being issued to those that have responded.
We'll be making payments to low income households during 2024/25 as part of the household support fund.
Low income households who are eligible for this extra financial help include:
Care Leavers
Care Leavers under the age of 25 and still resident in Cheshire West and Chester. A £100 payment will be issued to households meeting this eligibility criteria.
Pensioners
We will issue a £200 payment to low-income pensioner households who are not receiving Pension Credit and will therefore not receive a Winter Fuel Payment. We will use Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction records to identify households who receive an award through either of these means tested schemes and are not receiving Pension Credit as an income.
These records will be reviewed on 11 November 2024 to confirm those who will be invited to receive this payment. However, should a pensioner household be assessed for entitlement for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction after this date and not receiving pension credit, we will consider eligibility for a payment on request.
Residents with caring responsibilities
We will commit to providing support Carers. We will use available data to identify carers who provide at least 35hr a week caring for someone who is ill or has a disability. A £50 payment will be issued to households meeting this eligibility criteria.
If you are eligible for a payment you will be invited by letter to provide your bank details so that this payment can be issued to you. Therefore if you fit into any of these categories, please wait to receive your invite letter and follow the relevant instructions.
At this time, the Pensioner payment invite letters have been issued to all qualifying households, however the invites for Carers and Care Leavers have not yet been issued.
Your invite letter will contain references personal to you to verify the invite is genuine so please check your letter thoroughly to ensure it is officially from Cheshire West and Chester Council before taking action.
Please note only one payment will be made per household for qualifying Pensioners and Carers. You are only entitled to one award from the household support scheme duplicate payments will not be made.
