Some households will receive £65 payment to help with cost of living

Residents that currently receive Council Tax Reduction, due to low income, could get the payments if they live in certain areas.

This is part of a scheme from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) – administered through local councils.

However, the DWP has not asked City of York Council to administer the scheme.

In November last year York council said it was writing to more than 3,000 families, inviting them to apply for a potential one-off payment of between £200 and £300. 

Alongside this, a discretionary scheme is inviting applications up until March 31 this year for a scheme that aims to support potentially financial vulnerable residents, and specifically families with disabled children who may be affected by the increase in utility costs.

Those families with children on the higher rate Disability Living Allowance (DLA) will automatically be paid up to £250. Any resident can apply to the discretionary scheme, they do not need to receive a DWP benefit.

The £65 payments, which do not apply to York, are coming from the Government’s Household Support Fund and is to support residents with the cost of living crisis.

If there are children in the household, there will be an additional payment of £20 for every eligible child. 

While the first lot of payments dropped into people's bank accounts on December 9, the DWP has highlighted that eligible claims made after December 12, 2022, will be paid on March 25, 2023.  

The expectation is that the fund should be used to support households in the most need; particularly those who may not be eligible for the other support that the government has recently made available but who are nevertheless in need.

Residents do not need to apply for these payments.

If you currently pay your Council Tax by Direct Debit, payment will be made into the same bank account by March 25.

If you don’t pay by Direct Debit, you will be sent a voucher that you can exchange at the Post Office for cash.