The Government is inviting households to apply for cash payments from Labour's Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) to help with bills and other essential costs this winter. Grants potentially worth hundreds of pounds could be distributed to residents struggling to pay for food, gas, and electricity.
Applications are assessed based on individual circumstances. Households do not need to be on benefits to be eligible, and people must apply through their local councils, which should have full details of their schemes on their websites. Single parents with children might be given priority, for example.
Council Schemes and Payment Amounts
Local authorities operate their own individual schemes and issue payments of varying amounts. Birmingham City Council has previously awarded £200 grants. Cost-of-living pressures are only likely to intensify over the coming weeks as households use their heating more during winter.
Birmingham City Council stated: "The Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF) is currently open for new enquiries and applications. Completing the form does not automatically entitle you to a crisis payment. We will accept enquiries until all funding has run out. We may pause new submissions again if the waiting list becomes too full."
Application Delays and Review Process
Bury Council in Greater Manchester warned of application issues: "Due to a high volume of applications, processing times are currently longer than usual. While we aim to respond as quickly as possible, wait times can vary and may take between 4 and 8 weeks."
The Crisis and Resilience Fund is funded by the UK Government and administered by Bury Council. There is no statutory right of appeal against decisions relating to Crisis and Resilience Fund awards, or the level of any award made.
If you are refused an award, or you are unhappy with the amount awarded, you may request a review of the decision by contacting the Welfare Support Team within one month of being notified. Your review will be carried out by an officer who was not involved in the original decision.
Complaints about how the scheme has been administered should be submitted through Bury Council's complaints procedure. The next available route after this would be judicial review.
