Struggling households can get vital financial support this winter.
Struggling households in Leicestershire are being awarded fuel vouchers worth up to £98 (Image: Getty)
Households in one part of the UK are being handed fuel vouchers worth up to £98 before Christmas to help pay energy bills this winter.
The payments are being awarded to eligible households in Leicestershire as part of the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Household Support Fund, with other local councils giving out cost of living support in other parts of the UK too. The DWP scheme gives local councils across England a share of a funding pot worth £742 million to help those who are struggling to afford essential living costs, including energy bills, food and other essentials.
The funding is allocated between now and March 31, 2026, and local councils independently decide how to share the cash, so depending on where you live, there may be different criteria to qualify for the support.
In the East Midlands, Leicestershire County Council has confirmed it will be awarding fuel vouchers to households that are struggling financially, with the payments to be issued before Christmas.
The council has said that eligible families will receive fuel vouchers worth £98 each, while single households will be awarded £56 vouchers. Households who successfully meet the criteria will be issued a Wonde/fuel e-voucher, or a pre-paid energy card.
The council has confirmed that it will be pausing applications for the support on Friday, December 19, to allow all vouchers to be issued before Christmas. The fund will then reopen to application on January 5, 2026.
Leicestershire County Council said: “Fuel vouchers – The following funds for fuel costs are available: Prepayment meter credit – emergency top-up for households with minimal or no credit at risk of self-disconnection due to financial hardship.
“Vouchers with the value of £98 (family) or £56 (single person) issued per application. There will be two funding cycles, opening in May and November. One application is permitted in each funding cycle.”
Households cannot make a direct application for the support as a referral must be made instead from a professional support worker or agency, or by a professional who works in a qualifying field, such as education, registered charities, care and NHS.
As Household Support Fund cash is distributed independently by local councils in England, it means that the cost of living support available will vary by location, with different vouchers or grants up for grabs up and down the country.
The payments may also be issued at different times depending on where you live, so it’s possible for some to receive the support in time for Christmas, while others may have a longer wait.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says there may also be differences in who the money is given to and if or how you need to apply for the support, as some local councils opt to share the money out through local charities and community groups, while some limit household applications to one per year.
For example, households in Staffordshire can get a one off £300 utility payment made direct to their utility provider via the scheme, while residents in Calderdale can get a maximum of two payments of £85, amounting to £170 worth of support in total.
In the East Midlands, households in Nottingham can apply for £100 vouchers to spend in supermarkets, while in South Yorkshire, Doncaster Council is giving eligible households up to £300 towards food costs and other households can qualify for a £100 payment to go towards energy bills.
In the East of England, Cambridgeshire County Council is issuing £110 to eligible households in the form of direct payments or supermarket vouchers, while in North West England, Cheshire and West Chester Council is issuing £100 payments to low income pensioner households in December.
