Funding has been made available by the government’s Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) to support vulnerable Blackpool residents who are struggling with rising living costs.
The Household Support Fund is a national scheme which will run until 31 March 2023 (subject to funding availability) to provide support to vulnerable households in most need of help with significantly rising living costs.
Eligibility requirements
To apply to the Household Support Fund applicants must be:
- Over the age of 16 and responsible for paying electricity/gas bills for the property
- A Blackpool Council resident (receive a council tax bill from Blackpool Council)
- Experiencing financial hardship and not have enough resources to meet your immediate short-term needs
There is no requirement to be in receipt of DWP benefits to apply to this fund.
What we can help with
In Blackpool the Household Support Fund can help by providing short term financial support to meet immediate needs and help residents who are struggling to meet household energy costs.
An award of £200 will be made to qualifying households of one or two people (including children) and £300 to qualifying households of three or more people (including children).
If successful, awards will be paid directly to your energy provider and will appear as a credit on your bill or pre-payment electric or gas meter.
Household members must be permanent residents and registered for council tax at the address. Children must be permanent residents of the address and have Child Benefit in payment at the address.
The council will carry out checks to confirm household members.
Evidence required to verify your application
- Most recent full months bank/building society/savings account statement for all accounts for the applicant and all other adults in your household. Statements should show transactions in and out of the account, not just balances. This evidence is required to demonstrate your household meets the aims of the scheme
We also need
- A copy of your electricity or gas bill clearly showing your name and address, the name of the supplier and your account number, or
- If you have a pre-payment meter, you will need to access or create an online account with your electricity or gas supplier. From your online account you can take a screenshot or photo showing your name, address name of your supplier and your pre-pay account number, or
- If your electricity or gas is in your landlord’s name please provide confirmation of this such as an email or letter from your landlord
Awards will be paid directly to your electricity or gas supplier based on the account details provided.
You will need to upload this evidence as part of your application, please do not start your application until you have this evidence available.
Applications submitted without the required evidence will not be processed. If you are having any difficulty submitting your evidence, please contact the assessment team by email at blackpoolhouseholdsupport@blackpool.gov.uk
Application process
On submitting your application a confirmation email will be sent to the email address you provided which will include your application reference number. Please ensure your email address is entered correctly on the application form.
Please quote this reference number in any communication regarding your claim. We aim to assess applications as quickly as possible and strictly in the date order they are received.
Due to the expected high number of applications, it may take several weeks before your application is considered. You will be contacted as soon as your application is assessed. Please note applications submitted without the required evidence will not be processed.
Can I appeal a decision if my application is unsuccessful?
As this is a discretionary scheme, there is no right of appeal. However, if you think we have overlooked important information then you can ask us to look at the application again. Email blackpoolhouseholdsupport@blackpool.gov.uk providing reasons for review together with your name, address and reference number.
Following review there is no further right of appeal.
Fraudulent applications
We are committed to tackling and preventing fraud in all its forms.
If a claimant attempts to claim an award from the Household Support Fund by making a false declaration or providing false evidence or statements, they may have committed an offence under the Theft Act 1968.
Where the council suspects that fraud may have occurred, it will investigate the matter as appropriate, this may lead to criminal proceedings.
Additional support
Please note this is not an emergency support scheme. If you require urgent support with food, gas or electricity pre-pay top-ups, Blackpool Council Discretionary Support Scheme may be able to help.
Additional help with Council Tax may be available from the Council Tax Reduction scheme.
Additional help and advice regarding affordable warmth advice and assistance, including; warm homes discount, priority services register, understanding and reducing fuel bills, energy efficiency, budgeting money, dealing with fuel debt, fuel incentives, tariff differences, switching, smart meters, green measures, addressing damp and more is available from the BCH Warm and Healthy Homes project. This service is available to owner occupiers and tenants (not just BCH tenants).