In North Yorkshire, Middlesbrough Council is providing eligible pensioners with payments of up to £300 this winter. The council says pensioner households getting Council Tax Reduction or Attendance Allowance, who are not eligible for the government’s Winter Fuel Payment will qualify for the support.

Older pensioners who were born before September 22, 1945, will receive a payment of £300 per household, while those who were born between September 22, 1945 and September 21, 1959, will receive a payment of £200 per household.

The council said: “If you’re getting Council Tax Reduction or Attendance Allowance, and you’re not eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment:

• If you were born before 22 September 1945, you’ll get a payment of £300 per household.
• If you were born between 22 September 1945 and 21 September 1959, you’ll get a payment of £200 per household.
  

“If you’re getting Council Tax Reduction and you’re eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment:

• You’ll get a payment of £100 per household

“If you’re not getting any benefits:

• You must be earning less than a certain amount. This amount will depend on who is part of your household. You’ll get a payment of £100 per household.”

The council has confirmed that the payments will be made to those who are eligible automatically in November, and letters have been sent confirming the payment from the week beginning November 20, 2025. Those who don’t receive a letter from the council who think they may be eligible for the payment can submit an application for the support online.

The council added: “If we know you’re eligible, we’ll send your payment automatically during the week beginning 10 November 2025. For example, if you’ve had support from the Household Support Fund before.

“We’ll write to people we think might be eligible. We expect letters to arrive during the week beginning 10 November 2025. You’ll be able to apply online.

“If we do not write to you but you think you’re eligible, you can apply online. If you’re struggling with the online application form, call us on 01642 726541. It can take up to 21 working days for us to process applications. Please do not call us to ask about your application once you’ve submitted it.”

As Household Support Fund cash is distributed independently by local councils in England, the cost of living support that’s available varies by location, with different vouchers or grants up for grabs across the country. 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.

North Yorkshire Council is issuing £190 cost of living payments to eligible households from October 8 to spend across nine different supermarkets, including Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and M&S.

In West Yorkshire, Leeds City Council is issuing payments of up to £120 to eligible low income households in Leeds and Doncaster Council is giving eligible households up to £300 towards food costs, while other households can qualify for a £100 payment to go towards energy bills.

Elsewhere, households in Nottingham can get energy vouchers worth £98 and supermarket vouchers worth £75, amounting to £173 worth of support, and residents in Manchester receiving Council Tax support and a disability benefit can get £130.