Household Support Fund will return to help residents in need

The fourth round of the Household Support Fund for Tameside has been confirmed for a further 12 months with applications set to open in July.

Funding for the Household Support Fund is provided by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and is administered by Local Authorities under the Guidance set by Government and DWP to help support households with essential costs such as energy and water, food and other essentials linked to energy and water.

In April 2023 Tameside Council made the decision that 70% of the fund would be allocated to students who are eligible for Free School Meals and disbursed by Tameside’s schools during school holiday periods until March 2024.

This fund will be available to residents who are not eligible to receive Cost of Living payments made via the DWP: Cost of Living Payments 2023 to 2024 and households in exceptional hardship where no other support is available.

The scheme is a limited, fixed fund available until 31^st March 2024, or when funds are exhausted.

Councillor Eleanor Wills, Tameside Council Executive Member for Population Health and Well-being said: ‘’The Household Support Fund has been a life line for many eligible residents since it began in 2021, so I’m very pleased to hear we are once again able to offer this support to those who need it.’’

‘’Many families budgets are still tight and so I urge anyone who may be eligible to access these funds when applications are live and drop in support is once again available.’’

All applications will be assessed for eligibility, and applicants are asked to supply information regarding their household income and outgoings and provide a recent bank statement to confirm the need for support from this fund. If evidence requests are not responded to the application cannot be processed.

For up to date information on when applications and drop in support will be available please visit www.tameside.gov.uk./householdsupportfund.