The winter period can be an expensive time for many. Bills can rack up from all sorts of things.
On top of buying Christmas presents, people can end up having to pay more on heating bills just to keep warm. This winter will no doubt have caused financial strain for a lot of households.
But help is at hand for those struggling to stay afloat with their fuel costs in the West Midlands. Solihull’s council has made available up to £500 payments to help households with their fuel bills.
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And the council is also offering up to £147 in fuel vouchers. The £500 payments have been made available as debt relief, meaning they will go towards a household’s energy debt which covers fuel and water.
Households can also get Post Office vouchers totally £147 – or three PayPoint vouchers worth £49 each if you use a pre-payment meter. The money has been made available through the Government’s Household Support Fund (HSF).
In order to receive the payments, applicants must meet the council’s eligibility criteria. This states applicants must be a Solihull resident, have a combined gross household income of no more than £31,000 per year, have no household savings and have someone in the household with a vulnerability. For more information and to make an application, click here.
Pensioners can have up to £5,000 in savings. The vulnerability criteria includes residents suffering with long-term diagnosed and treated health conditions, either physical or mental.
It also relates to household income, including those with unmanageable debts, households using a food bank, state pensioners and households in receipt of benefits. The council said vouchers can take up to 20 days to be issued after applications are made.