HOUSEHOLDS have a one month warning to check for a letter on the doormat with a code for a £450 supermarket voucher or risk missing out.
The vouchers come from the Household Support Fund (HSF) scheme, which ends on March 31.
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Some councils will make payouts automatically and others will require you to fill out a form. The vouchers can be used in supermarkets to pay for groceries worth hundreds of pounds.
But the scheme is currently set to run out on March 31, meaning householders need to look out for the letter which drops on their mat.
However some local authorities are terminating the scheme before March 31. Kent County Council closes its application process on February 29.
There are also variances between the amounts handed out by different councils across the country.
For example, Birmingham City Council, the country’s largest local authority, provides cash grants of up to £200 through the HSF scheme for households currently facing financial hardship.
Households living in North Yorkshire need to act before February 21 to secure supermarket vouchers worth up to £450.
Cllr Pete Marland, chair of the Local Government Association’s economy and resources board, said: “Councils are united in the view the Household Support Fund must be continued beyond the end of March for at least a year.
“Demand for local welfare support remains at record levels with the cost of energy, housing and other essentials remaining exceptionally high relative to income and continuing to rise.
“Without an extension, there is a risk of more households falling into financial crisis and homelessness.”
Halide Kalfaoglu, benefits expert at Turn2us, said: “The government must extend it and create a long-term strategy for local crisis support in England.
“Due to this uncertainty, we would encourage people to apply for support with their council as soon as possible.”
The Household Support Fund was first launched in October 2021 to help Brits pay their way through winter amid the cost of living crisis.
Councils up and down the country got a slice of the £842million funding available to dish out to Brits in need.
It was then extended for a second time in the Spring Budget and for a third time in November to help those on the lowest incomes with the rising cost of living.
