Household Support Fund

The Government has announced that a new Household Support Fund (HSF) grant will be available to support those most in need this winter

We are currently working on a scheme for delivering the Fund, which will be a one-off payment. 

The scheme has to be agreed by Councillors at the Policy and Resources Committee on 16 December, so applications will not be open until after that date at least.

As soon as we have any more information, we will update this page.

Test and Trace Support payment

If you have tested positive for coronavirus or have been in close contact with someone who has tested positive, and told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace you may be entitled to a Test and Trace Support Payment of £500.

You may be eligible for one of the following two funds. Please read the following information carefully and only apply if you meet the qualifying criteria. Claims received more than 42 days from the start of your period of self isolation will not be considered.

Test and Trace Support Payment

If you've not been fully vaccinated you will be eligible if:

• you have been told to stay at home and self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS COVID-19 app because you have been identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19
• you have tested positive for coronavirus

From 30 November 2021 if you have been fully vaccinated you will only be eligible:

• if you have tested positive for coronavirus or
• if you are the parent or guardian of a child who is under 18 and has tested positive for COVID-19, or
• you are between 16 and 25 and have an Education, Health and Care plan and you have been asked to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace Protect service (TTP), or
• you or your child has been identified as a close contact of someone with the Omicron variant of COVID-19, and have been advised to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace

You must agree to comply with the notification from NHS Test and Trace, and self-isolate.

When can I apply?

All applications must be made within 42 days of the start of your period of self-isolation.

The scheme will close on 31 March 2022.

Test and Trace discretionary support payment

If you do not meet the above criteria you may be eligible for a discretionary payment.

There is a limited amount of funding for this scheme, so please read the following information carefully and only apply if you are suffering exceptional hardship. Payments are made based on the following criteria:

• Have been told to stay at home and self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace either because you have tested positive for coronavirus or have recently been in close contact with someone who has tested positive
• Are employed or self-employed
• Are not a student
• Are unable to work from home and will lose income as a result
• Live in Pendle
• Are on a low income. A low income is classed as:
  • £384.62 per week (£20,000 a year) if you are in a couple or are a single parent and your children live with you; or
  • £257.69 per week (£13,400 a year) if you are a single adult

You can apply for this payment if you meet the above criteria and have no access to benefits or other public funds.

You can read the Test and Trace Discretionary Payment Scheme Policy.

When will I get the money?

We aim to pay you within 3 working days, once we have received the necessary evidence from you, and checked it.

We are getting a lot of claims from people who are not eligible. This is delaying payments to those who are eligible and most in need of assistance, and it is taking us longer than 3 days to process payments. Please bear with us whilst we work through them. We are doing this in date order.

You will need to: 

• agree to comply with the notification from NHS Test and Trace
• provide your notification from NHS Test and Trace
• provide proof of your earnings or self-employed income
• provide proof of address, and bank statements 
• a communication from the child or young person's place of education or childcare setting confirming that they must isolate
• a copy of the young person's Education, Health and Care plan if applicable.

If you cannot provide your Test and Trace notification, we will check the NHS Test and Trace system to confirm that you have been asked to self-isolate. We will have checks in place to prevent and detect fraud.

Your data

As part of the application process, we may need to check any data you provide us against other information that we hold about you. We may also receive information from other parties or organisations, or share your data with them to check the accuracy of records. This includes NHS Test and Trace (CTAS) and the DWP.  We will also contact your child or young person's place of education or childcare to validate their details. This will enable us to prevent or detect crime, or to protect public funds in other ways where the law allows.

We will also need to provide information to HMRC about any payments we make, as we understand that, where applicable, the payments are subject to Tax and National Insurance Contributions. If you are self-employed, you need to declare the payment on your self-assessment tax return.

You will have to agree to share your data before you can complete the form.

You can read our Privacy Notice here.

Apply for a Test and Trace Support payment

Help with paying your Council Tax

There are a few ways you could get help if you are struggling:

• You may be able to apply for Universal Credit via the Department for Work and Pensions
• You may qualify for Council Tax Support
• The option of paying your Council Tax over 12 months instead of 10. Email council.tax@pendle.gov.uk
• The possibility of a payment holiday of up to 2 months. Email council.tax@pendle.gov.uk

Useful links

The best place to go for the most up to date advice, is the GOV.UK Coronavirus homepage.

There is information on:

• Employment and financial support, including support for those who are self-employed
• School closures, education and childcare
• Healthcare workers and carers
• Travel
• How coronavirus is affecting public services

• Back to the Coronavirus homepage