The Household Support Fund has been extended by six months, with another £500 million available to vulnerable people before 30 September 2024, according to the British Gas Energy Trust1. The fund had been due to end on 31 March 20241.
The scheme was launched in 2021 as part of the government's response to the cost-of-living crisis, and had given out more than £2.5 billion by the point at which it was scheduled to close1. The extension followed pressure from local councils1.
"But after pressure from local councils, the scheme has now been extended by a further six months, meaning another £500 million will be available to vulnerable people before 30 September 2024."
Local councils administer the scheme, and each runs it differently1. Support can take the form of cash grants or vouchers for food, energy vouchers, cost-of-living payments, free school meals, financial support to fix or replace boilers or provide white goods, support for local charities such as foodbanks, and targeted support based on individual need1. Eligibility differs from council to council, but people do not have to be receiving benefits to qualify1.
The Trust's announcement does not set out how the £500 million is divided between councils, nor which households will receive support in each area. Those details have not been reported1.
Why it matters for households
The fund is one of the routes by which a household in financial difficulty can get help with an energy bill or with replacing a broken boiler, and it sits alongside the crisis funds and hardship grants that councils and charities run. Because each council designs its own scheme, the support available, the amounts and the qualifying conditions vary by area, and the extension does not change that1. For a household weighing up whether help is available, the practical position is that the money exists until 30 September 2024 and is administered locally, not centrally1.
The extension matters for energy independence in a narrow but real sense: a grant that clears an energy debt or pays for a repair keeps a home's heating and hot water working without new borrowing, and it does so without the household having to be on benefits1. It does not change the underlying cost of energy, and it does not fund insulation, a heat pump or any other permanent improvement to a property. Households in England looking at the wider set of home energy grants and schemes will find the fund is a short-term cash route rather than a capital one, and the same is true for low-income households in England and for low-income households in Northern Ireland, where separate arrangements apply.
What happens next
The extended fund runs until 30 September 20241. No decision on what happens after that date has been reported1. Households wanting to know what is available in their area are directed by the Trust to their local council1.
Sources1 cited
- Household Support Fund extended - British Gas Energy Trust, britishgasenergytrust.org.uk