Lancaster City Council has received funding from the Department for Work and Pensions to enable us to support those most in need with the significant rise in the cost of living. This scheme is being run in partnership with North Lancashire Citizens Advice.

The aim of this scheme is to provide longer term support to our residents who are struggling financially.

Please note this scheme may be suspended at any point for new applications depending on demand and availability. 

Eligibility

To be eligible for the scheme must be: 

• Aged 16 or over. 
• A resident of the Lancaster District.
• Experiencing financial hardship and struggling to afford essential items. 
• Be willing to engage with North Lancashire Citizens Advice and Lancaster City Council.

Application procedure

• Complete our short online form (or call 01524 582000 and press option 7 if you are unable to fill the form out yourself)
• You must provide at least one month of recent bank statements for all open bank / savings accounts held by adults within the household and a full breakdown of your universal credit statement. Please provide these as part of your application, or by email to hsf@lancaster.gov.uk, as a PDF attachment (please see our FAQs below) 
• Once your application is completed, we will pass your details to Citizens' Advice for them to arrange a telephone appointment with an advisor.
• If the required documents have not been provided, we cannot proceed with your application. All applications will be closed 10 working days from the application date if the documents are not provided. If you are struggling to provide the required documents, please see our FAQ page below.
• You can also provide your financial information directly at Morecambe Town Hall or Lancaster Town Hall Monday to Friday 9am - 4.30pm.  

Assessment

As part of the assessment the advisor will: 

• Carry out a debt assessment and benefit check to identify debts they can support with and ensure you are receiving all the income and benefits you are entitled to.
• Put in any requests to the Household Support Fund for short term support.
• Carry out more in-depth follow-up appointments where required.

Any support through the Household Support Fund for essential items will be processed after your appointment with Citizens Advice as they will provide their recommendations to the council. 

What support is available?

The types of short term support the fund can help with include:

• Utility bills 
• Food 
• Household appliances 
• Housing costs
• Other essential items

Applications to Round 6 of the Household Support Fund will open week commencing 18th November 2024.

If you are in urgent need of support please contact the team at Citizens Advice to request an appointment, providing proof of income and capital for all adults within the household.

This is currently the only access route into the Household Support Fund whilst the application process is finalised.

Please note:

• Please do not chase up your application within the first week of it being placed, we will be in touch with you to confirm or request any details as soon as we can.
• Any applications that are submitted without the required financial documents will not be processed until this has been received. All applications will be closed 10 working days from the application date if the documents are not provided.
• All documents must be supplied in a readable format, multiple screenshots will not be accepted and new documents will be requested.
• If you have not heard from us and you believe all your information has been submitted, please email hsf@lancaster.gov.uk or call 01524 582000 and select option 7.
• For details on how Lancaster City Council uses your data, see our HSF privacy notice. (DOCX, 26KB)