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Households in one part of the UK are being handed up to £300 off their energy bills before April to help with rising living costs.

The money is being awarded to struggling households in Blackpool as part of the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) Household Support Fund, with other local councils giving out cost of living support in other parts of the UK too. The DWP scheme gives local councils across England a share of a funding pot worth £742 million to help vulnerable households struggling to afford essential living costs over the winter months, including energy bills, food and other essentials. The funding is allocated from now until March 31, 2026, and local councils independently decide how to share the cash, so depending on where you live, there may be different criteria to qualify for the support.

In Lancashire, Blackpool Council has confirmed it will be distributing funding to households who are struggling to meet household energy or water costs. The council is providing an award of £200 to qualifying households of one or two people, including children, while qualifying households of three or more people, including children, will be awarded a £300 payment.

The money will be paid directly to your energy supplier or United Utilities and will appear as a credit on your energy bill. The scheme is running until March 31, 2026, or while funding lasts, so households that qualify should receive the money off their bills before April.

To apply for the support, you must be over the age of 16 and responsible for paying the utility bills for your property, and you must be a Blackpool Council resident. You must also be experiencing "financial hardship and struggling to meet your immediate short term needs".

Funding will be limited to one payment per household within a 12 month period, and you don't need to be getting Universal Credit or any other DWP to apply for the support.

Households will need to apply for the support via the council website and must provide their most recent full months bank/building society/saving account statements for all accounts, and all other adults in your households, as well as a copy of your electricity, gas or water bill showing your name, address, the name of your supplier and your account number.

Blackpool Council said: "In Blackpool the household support fund can help by providing short term financial support to meet immediate needs and help residents who are struggling to meet household energy or water costs.

• An award of £200 will be made to qualifying households of one or two people (including children)
• An award of £300 will be made to qualifying households of three or more people (including children)

"If successful, awards will be paid directly to your energy provider or United Utilities and will appear as a credit on your bill or pre-payment electric or gas meter. This scheme is open to Blackpool residents only. Household members must be permanent residents of the supply address.

"Children must be permanent residents of the address and have child benefit in payment at the address. We will carry out checks to confirm household numbers."

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

The payments may also be issued at different times depending on where you live, so it's possible for some to receive the support in time for Christmas, while others may have a longer wait.

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

The payments may also be issued at different times depending on where you live, so it's possible for some to receive the support in time for Christmas, while others may have a longer wait.

The Department for Work and Pensions (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, while residents in Calderdale can get a maximum of two payments of £85, amounting to £170 worth of support in total.

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

Elsewhere, residents in Manchester receiving Council Tax support and a disability benefit can get payments of up to £130 to help with living costs.