Thousands of households can get monthly cost of living help worth £173 - how to claim

The help comes from the government-funded Household Support Fund scheme, which gives local councils funding to provide cost of living assistance to people in the area

Households can get cost of living support worth up to £173 as applications opened this week.

The help comes from the government-funded Household Support Fund scheme, which gives local councils funding to provide cost of living assistance to people in the area. Each local authority offers different help, and you can only claim support from your local council.

Nottingham City Council has opted to provide supermarket and energy vouchers to struggling households and you can apply for them through the council's website. Each month the council will open a new batch of vouchers with applications opening on November 4 this month.

According to the council's website, each household can get two energy support vouchers worth £49 each and one £75 supermarket voucher each month. This means households can get up to £173 worth of help each month. In addition, free school meal vouchers worth £15 a week will be sent out over the Christmas and February school holidays.

The energy vouchers are delivered through Paypoint, so you will need to find your local Paypoint store to redeem it. You can find your local store through Paypoint's website. The supermarket voucher will be sent to you via email.

The council warned that there was a "limited" amount of vouchers available each month, and once they are gone - they are gone. If you miss one month's vouchers, you can apply again the next month. You can check the exact date when applications will reopen on Nottingham City Council's website.

Previously, Nottingham Council used towards those who received Council Tax Support or were on a low income. However, it has now urged all households struggling financially to check if they could be eligible for help. Councillor Cheryl Barnard, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education at Nottingham City Council, said: "Households struggling financially should look on the Council’s HSF webpage to find out what support they may be eligible for and apply for it as soon as possible, as these are limited on a first come, first served basis. Our website also provides plenty of further advice and avenues for support for those who may need it.”

You cannot apply for this scheme if you do not live in Nottingham. However, your local council will have its own Household Support Scheme you can access. You should keep an eye out for any updates on the schemes on your local authority's website.