One-off cost of living payments of up to £300 are being awarded to eligible households in one part of the UK as part of a winter scheme.

The payments come from the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Household Support Fund, which gives local councils across England a share of a funding pot worth £742 million. Local councils then independently decide how to distribute the cash among households in their area, so while this specific scheme applies in Newcastle, more local councils are giving out cost of living support in other parts of the UK too.

The financial support that is available depends on where you live and there may be different criteria to qualify from location to location, but all the funding for this year’s scheme will be distributed by March 31, 2026, when the scheme closes.

In the North East, Newcastle City Council is awarding cost of living payments to eligible households worth either £200 or £300.

To qualify for the payment, households must be experiencing “significant financial difficulty” and have sought advice from one of the council’s Advice Compact partners for support.

Newcastle City Council said: “We have limited funding to help residents who are suffering from significant financial difficulty.

“Only one payment will be made per household. The amount will be £200, or £300 if you receive Child Benefit for someone living in your household. To be eligible for a one-off payment from the Household Support Fund (HSF) you must:

“If you meet the above criteria, a member of our Advice Compact can submit a referral to the fund for you. Residents cannot self-refer. This funding is limited.”

As Household Support Fund cash is distributed independently by local councils in England, cost of living support that is available will vary by location, with different vouchers or grants up for grabs up and down the country depending on where you live.

The DWP says there may also be differences in who the money is given to and if or how you need to apply for the support, as some local councils opt to share the money out through local charities and community groups, while some limit household applications to one per year.

For example, households in Staffordshire can get a one off £300 utility payment made direct to their utility provider via the scheme, residents in Calderdale can get a maximum of two payments of £85, amounting to £170 worth of support in total, and residents of State Pension age in North Lincolnshire are being offered free air fryers, slow cookers and kettles.

In the East Midlands, households in Nottingham can apply for £100 vouchers to spend in supermarkets, and in South Yorkshire, Doncaster Council is giving eligible households up to £300 towards food costs, while other households can qualify for a £100 payment to go towards energy bills.

In the East of England, Cambridgeshire County Council is issuing £110 to eligible households in the form of direct payments or supermarket vouchers, and residents in Manchester receiving Council Tax support and a disability benefit can get payments of up to £130 to help with living costs.