The Household Support Fund is a government scheme to help ease the financial pressure from the rising cost of living. Residents in the Tandridge District with low incomes can apply for a small grant from this fund.
This Council has contributed an additional £54,000 from its own resources to the government fund, ensuring as many households as possible receive support.
Who can apply?
We accept applications from, or on behalf of, people who are in financial difficulties. The person receiving the funds must:
- Be over the age of 16.
- Live in the Tandridge district.
- Be in financial difficulty and struggling to meet the cost of essential items like food, fuel or energy bills for themselves or their dependents. You will need to submit evidence online such as bank statements and arrears letters.
You can apply if you have received a Household Support Fund grant before, although priority will be given to people or families who have not received a grant before.
How do I apply?
We are no longer accepting applications.
You need to complete and submit an online application form.
If you don’t have access to the internet, please call the Council on 01883 772000. You will need to visit the Council Offices in Oxted to provide all the documents listed below. You can also ask the Westway Centre in Caterham and Citizens Advice to help you apply.
What information will need to be submitted?
To assess applications, we need details about the applicant, members of their household and the reasons why an application is being made.
You will need to provide your:
- Contact details.
- Date of birth.
- National Insurance number.
- Bank details, including sort code and account number.
- Your bank statements from 1 September to 30 November 2024. This must show all your transactions in and out of the account.
- Income, savings or benefit information. We cannot accept an image of your bank account balance.
You may also want to upload other information to allow us to make an informed decision, for example, arrears letters, energy bills.
If you are calling us to apply for a grant, we will discuss how you provide your supporting evidence.
How much will I receive?
If your application is successful:
- Households without children will receive £125.
- Households with children under 19 will receive £225.
How will payments be made?
We will notify you once a decision has been made on your application. If your application is approved, payments will be by BACS transfer to your nominated bank account after the Christmas holidays.
It may take longer to process your application if checks are required or you have not supplied your bank statements.
When will the fund close?
The fund closed at 11.59pm on Sunday 15 December.
What is the assessment process?
We will try to support as many residents as we can with the limited funds available. We aim to provide support to those who need our help the most. This includes:
- Residents with dependent children.
- Residents with disability or health problems.
- Households with at least one person who is receiving their state pension.
- Lone parents.
- Those who are, or are at risk of becoming, homeless including those living in temporary accommodation.
- Survivors of domestic abuse.
- Those leaving care or hospital.
- Those facing an emergency crisis such as, a recent fire or flood.
Once we receive an application and supporting evidence it will be assessed based on the information provided and a decision made.
Reviewing the decision
There is no right of appeal against a decision not to make an award, or about the amount of an award. If you are not happy with the outcome, you can ask us to review your application within five days of our decision, by e-mailing customerservices@tandridge.gov.uk.
Requests for a review should be made in writing and must state the reasons why you do not agree with the decision and why you are asking for a review. The review will be conducted by a senior officer who was not involved in the original decision.
You will be notified of the outcome of the review within 14 working days of your request.
Financial advice
Are you confident you are receiving all the benefits or tax credits you are entitled to? Are you stressed about debt or worrying about how to make your money stretch further? Help is out there! Citizen’s Advice have teamed up with Surrey County Council to offer tailored financial advice to check your finances are in the best shape they can be.
If you are interested in finding out more, and how you might be able to maximise your income, please contact Surrey’s Welfare Line on 0300 200 1008 and ask to be referred for Household Support Fund advice services.
How are we communicating this to residents?
Since November 2022, we have used a range of channels, such as:
- Articles in monthly news and events e-newsletters, issued to all our subscribers and posted on social media.
- Printed articles in local magazines such as CR3, CR6, RH8, RH9, TN16 which is delivered to households in the district.
- Social media campaign including into 30+ Facebook groups.
- All local media informed.
- Advising community partners.
- Message on our call waiting system.
Background
In October 2021, the Government announced funding to financially support vulnerable households over the winter months. It is known as the Household Support Grant.
We have been allocated money to provide support to households who would struggle to buy food or pay essential utility bills, or meet other essential living costs this winter, due to the rising cost of living.
The Tandridge Household Support Scheme Local Eligibility Framework has been developed to help us administer the scheme, which will:
- Use discretion to identify and support those most in need.
- Use the funds to meet immediate needs and help those who are struggling to afford food, energy or water bills and other essential household expenditure.
- In exceptional cases of genuine emergency, we will support housing costs where existing housing support schemes do not meet this exceptional need.
- Work with local services, community groups and other partners to identify and support households within the scope of this scheme.
We have lots more information about other support available.