State pensioners handed £100 cost of living payments in December | Personal Finance | Finance
State pensioners in one area of the UK are being handed £100 cost-of-living payments in December to help with the rising cost of living. The £100 payments are being awarded to low-income pensioner households in receipt of certain benefits in Cheshire and West Chester 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 North West England, Cheshire and West Chester Council has confirmed it will be issuing £100 payments to low income pensioner households as part of this year’s scheme.
Pensioner households who are receiving either Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction will be eligible for the payment, which will be issued between now and March 31, 2026.
Pensioners who have previously applied for support through the Household Support Fund scheme before don’t need to apply again, as payments will be issued automatically.
Those who haven’t applied before should have been contacted by the council to apply in late November, but if you think you’re eligible and haven’t heard anything by early December you should contact the council.
The council said: “We will issue a £100 payment to low-income pensioner households who are receiving either Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction. Existing Council records for these benefits will be used to identify eligible pensioner households and those who have previously provided their bank details as part of a previous Household Support Fund scheme will not be required to apply again, with a payment issued automatically.
“For households who have not previously applied, you will be contacted with instructions on how to apply if eligible. All invites will be issued by late November 2025.
“If you believe you are eligible and have not received contact by early December 2025, please contact householdsupport@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk or 0808 175 3599. However, If you require general support with claiming, please contact the telephone number shown on the invite to claim.”
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.
In the East of England, Cambridgeshire County Council is issuing £110 to eligible households in the form of direct payments or supermarket vouchers, while residents in Manchester receiving Council Tax support and a disability benefit can get payments of up to £130 to help with living costs.
