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Household Support Fund – your questions answered
What is the Household Support Fund?
Bradford Council has been allocated funding from the UK Government’s Household Support Fund to help residents who would otherwise struggle to buy food, keep their home warm, pay essential utility bills or meet other essential living costs.
Why have you sent me a payment?
You have been identified as being in receipt of a means tested Council Tax Reduction and therefore have been allocated a payment from the Household Support Fund. Other reductions to Council Tax bills that are not dependant on income, such as single person discounts, exemptions and disregards are not qualifiers for a Household Support Fund payment.
How have you worked out the amount of my payment?
We have given all eligible households a payment of £100. Any households that have children on their Council Tax Reduction claim, will be given an additional payment of £40 per child.
My payment amount is incorrect as I have children in my household.
We have used your current council tax reduction claim to calculate your payment. If your children were not included on your claim, we cannot make a payment for them on this occasion. However, we would advise you to update your Council Tax reduction claim so it is correct and any future Household Support Payments we might make to you are also correct. You can update your claim on our website by going to tell us about a change in your circumstances page.
Have you sent my payment to my bank account or issued me with a voucher?
If you are currently paying your Council Tax by Direct Debit then your payment has been sent to the bank account from which we receive payments. If you don’t pay by Direct Debit then we will have issued you a Post Office Voucher. These payment methods cannot now be changed.
What bank account have you made my payment into?
Please check the bank account from which you pay your Council Tax
I think I should have received a payment but haven’t, what should I do?
Please check that you are in receipt of a means tested reduction – you can check this on your Council Tax bill – it will be marked as “Council Tax Reduction”. The qualifying date for the payment was the 19 November 2023 so if you made a Council Tax Reduction claim after this date you will not qualify.
Other reductions to Council Tax bills that are not dependant on income, such as single person discounts, exemptions and disregards are not qualifiers for a Household Support Fund payment.
I am exempt from paying Council Tax, but am in receipt of benefits, do I qualify for a payment?
No, only those who are in receipt of a means tested Council Tax reduction qualify for the payment
I have received a Post Office Voucher but would like the payment to go into my bank account
Payment methods cannot now be changed – please use the voucher to collect your payment from the Post Office.
Can I save my voucher to use at a later date?
We advise that you cash the voucher as soon as you can to avoid losing, misplacing or forgetting to cash it. Vouchers that are not redeemed before the expiry date cannot be replaced.
My Post Office Voucher has not arrived, what can I do?
All vouchers were posted by the Post Office (using second class post) by the 1 December 2023. We advise that you allow some time for your voucher to arrive before contacting us. If your voucher has not arrived by the 11 December 2023 you can contact us by emailing fuelpayments@bradford.gov.uk. Please ensure that you include your full name and address in your email, otherwise we will be unable to respond to you.
I have lost my Post Office Voucher, what can I do?
You can email us at fuelpayments@bradford.gov.uk. Please ensure that you include your full name and address in your email, otherwise we will be unable to respond to you. If your voucher has not been redeemed we can issue you with a new one provided the voucher expiry date has not passed. Please note that the reissue of a new voucher can take a couple of weeks.
I can’t get to a Post Office, what can I do?
You can ask another person to collect the payment on your behalf, details of how they do this are on the voucher letter.
My voucher has expired. What can I do?
Unfortunately once the voucher has expired it cannot be reissued.
Is there any other help I can access?
There is help available both locally and from the Government. The following websites may be useful to you.