Households can claim free cost of living help worth up to £500. UK households will get £500 paid directly into their bank accounts to help with the cost of living amid the ongoing crisis affecting many families and people in the UK, with financial strife all too common currently.

Worcester Council is using its Household Support fund to provide payments of up to £500 to help their residents with their energy or water costs. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) Household Support Fund (HSF) will provide help to those most in need; like families with children of all ages, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers, and people with disabilities who would otherwise struggle with energy bills, food and water bills.

The Household Support Fund is open from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. Help is available for people across Worcestershire who are most in need. The Household Support Fund maybe able to help with financial support toward current energy and water costs, financial support toward energy and water debts only and help to repair, service and replace broken boilers and heating systems.

It will also help support with food costs or direct provision of food and support with wider essentials. The fund cannot be used for payment of mortgage costs or to pay off debts. The local authority says: “The fund allows us to provide a basic safety net support to an individual, regardless of their immigration status, if there is a genuine need that does not arise solely from destitution.”

“This support is available to all who qualify and will not affect your benefits. It is also available to people not on benefits where other criteria are met,” it goes on. Worcester Council says priority will be given to those who have not received help from its Households Support fund before.

The website also notes that the application process will close for a period over Christmas and reopen again in the New Year. The application process will close on Wednesday, December 20 at 5pm and reopen again at midday on Tuesday, January 2 2024.