Eligible households only have days left to claim free energy bill support.
Nottingham City Council is awarding £98 energy vouchers to eligible households (Image: Getty)
Households in one part of the UK are being urged to claim energy vouchers worth £98 before midnight on Sunday. The vouchers are being awarded to eligible households in Nottingham as part of the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Household Support Fund, which provides local councils across England with a share of a funding pot worth £742 million.
The fund is to help vulnerable households afford essential living costs over the winter months, including energy bills and food, with the money being awarded from now until March 31, 2026. Although this specific scheme applies in Nottingham, other local councils are giving out cost of living support in other parts of the UK too.
It is up to local councils in England to independently decide how to share the cash, so there may be different eligibility criteria depending on where you live.
In the East Midlands, Nottingham City Council is awarding £98 energy vouchers as part of the scheme, with households urged to apply for the vouchers by midnight on Sunday, January 11. The council has opened applications for a one week period, running from Monday, January 5, until Sunday, January 11, and 1,000 energy vouchers worth £98 each are up for grabs.
Eligible households will be awarded the vouchers on a first come, first served basis, but all residents will have an equal chance of getting a voucher if they apply via the council’s website during the application period.
Nottingham City Council said: “Applications will be open on our website from 10.00am Monday 5th January until close at midnight on Sunday 11th January, 2026. 1,000 x £98 Energy vouchers will be available. No supermarket vouchers are in this January release.
“Residents can apply again, even if you have already received a energy voucher this year or are awaiting one from the November 2025 issue.
“It may take up to the 28th February for you to receive your £98 Energy vouchers if you are successful. We cannot answer any questions on vouchers until after 28th February. If this date changes for any reason, we will update this website in advance.”
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, Leicestershire County Council is also awarding fuel vouchers worth up to £98 to households that are struggling financially, and in the East of England, Cambridgeshire County Council is issuing £110 to eligible households in the form of direct payments or supermarket vouchers.
