UK households handed early Christmas present with £200 cost of living payments

West Midlands households struggling with the cost-of-living crisis could get an early Christmas present after a new round of applications opened for £200 'hardship grants'. The money is being handed out by Birmingham City Council after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) extended its Households Support Fund (HSF).

The HSF is a pot of money set aside for local authorities to support residents with everyday bills. After the last round of funding closed in September, a new one opened up in November and it will remain opened until March 31, 2025.

In order to be eligible, the city council said applicants must be a Birmingham resident, experiencing financial hardship - particularly with covering costs linked to food and energy - and not have received a £200 grant payment in the past 12 months. People can fill out a form online or call the council to express an interest.

READ MORE: Antiques Road Trip expert fumes 'I'm really jealous' as co-star rakes in huge profit

Get breaking news on BirminghamLive WhatsApp , click the link to join

The new round of funding will come as welcome news to many residents struggling with bills in Birmingham. If payments are delivered before December 25, it could come as an early Christmas present.

Successful applicants will receive payments enter directly into their bank accounts. A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said: "Hardship payments are intended to help households with everyday household essentials such as energy and food, with grant payments of up to £200 per household. Receiving a grant from this fund will not impact any other benefits you may be receiving or may be entitled to. Hardship grant requests will open again from November 2024 until 31 March 2025."

In order to apply, residents need to fill out an expression of interest form which can be done on the council's website here. People can also express their interest by calling the council via telephone on 0121 634 7100 - but the local authority recommended residents filling out the form as online enquiries are processed more quickly, it said.