£200 vouchers for supermarkets and energy bills given to households before April | Personal Finance | Finance

Voucher payments of up to £200 are being given to households in one part of the UK before April to help with the rising cost of living.

The payments are being awarded to eligible households in Lincoln as part of 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 to distribute to those who are struggling with essential costs in their area. It is at the discretion of local councils to independently decide how to share the cash among households, so depending on where you live, there may be different criteria to qualify for the support.

While this specific scheme applies in Lincolnshire, more local councils are giving out cost-of-living support in other parts of the UK, too, before the DWP scheme closes on March 31, 2026.

In the East Midlands, the City of Lincoln Council is awarding voucher payments of up to £200 to eligible households as part of the scheme, which can be used to help pay energy bills, top up pre-payment meters or spend on food shopping at supermarkets.

Households must apply for the scheme via the council’s website and must be a resident of the City of Lincoln Council, responsible for household bills, have no savings and meet one of the following criteria:

• had a significant loss in household income within the last month due to a change which was out of your control
• migrated to Universal Credit within the last month
• had a change in your household within the last month, resulting in reduced household income

City of Lincoln Council said: “Voucher payments of between £50 and £200 could be issued to those successful applicants considered most in need and can be used towards the payment of energy bills, pre-payment meter top-ups and food shopping.

“This is a limited fund, and an award is not guaranteed. Only one application per household will be considered for this wave of the scheme.

“When you have submitted your form, please allow 28 days for a decision. If you are successful in a payment award, you will be notified by email or text message. If you have not heard from us after 28 days, please contact us with your reference number.”

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 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, and in the East of England, Cambridgeshire County Council is issuing £110 to eligible households in the form of direct payments or supermarket vouchers.