The Department for Work and Pensions first published its guidance page for the Crisis and Resilience Fund on 13 January 20261. The fund is a grant scheme for local authorities in England, running from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 20291.
The department states that the fund "provides grant funding to local authorities in England to provide preventative support to communities, as well as assisting people when faced with a financial crisis"1. The guidance is intended to support local authorities in designing their own schemes1. Provisional allocations and draft grant conditions have already been published and will be finalised in due course, according to the page1.
The page has been updated several times since first publication. On 15 January 2026 a PDF attachment on management information reporting requirements was added, and on 21 January 2026 that PDF was replaced with an HTML version and the landing page title was updated1. On 26 February 2026 new points 170, 222 and 228 were added and paragraph numbering was updated1. On 1 April 2026 the guide was updated "to take into account the increase in the Crisis and Resilience Fund for fuel oil price increase"1. On 7 April 2026 paragraph 83 was updated on when local authorities should aim to deliver crisis payments, and paragraph 177 was updated to clarify that any award made in respect of the financial year ending March 2026 should be recorded as a Discretionary Housing Payment1.
The published page does not give the size of the fund, the amount of the increase for fuel oil prices, or the individual allocations to each local authority. Those figures have not been reported on this page1.
| Date | Update |
|---|---|
| 13 January 2026 | First published |
| 15 January 2026 | Management information reporting requirements PDF added |
| 21 January 2026 | PDF replaced with HTML version; landing page title updated |
| 26 February 2026 | New points 170, 222 and 228 added; paragraph numbering updated |
| 1 April 2026 | Guide updated for increase in the fund for fuel oil price increase |
| 7 April 2026 | Paragraphs 83 and 177 updated |
Why it matters for households
The fund is one of the routes through which households in England facing a financial crisis can receive support, and it sits alongside the wider set of grants and schemes that households and their advisers may need to check. Because the money is paid to local authorities rather than to households directly, the practical effect for a home depends on the scheme each council designs, and the guidance published on 13 January 2026 is the document that sets out what councils are expected to do1. The reference to an increase for fuel oil price increase indicates that part of the funding is intended to respond to heating costs for homes that rely on fuel oil, though the page does not state the size of that increase or how it will be distributed1. The clarification that awards relating to the financial year ending March 2026 should be recorded as Discretionary Housing Payments affects how councils account for payments made in that period, not the amount a household receives1.
What happens next
The fund opens in England on 1 April 2026 and runs to 31 March 20291. Draft grant conditions have been published and will be finalised in due course, according to the department1. No date for that finalisation has been reported1.