Apply for the Discretionary Crisis Scheme

The Discretionary Crisis Fund is made up of money we have received from the government, which will form part of the 2024/25 Household Support Fund.

Household Support Fund

The Household Support Fund is money from the government that we use to help low income households with food, fuel, and other essentials. The government funding has been extended to the end of March 2025. Applications will close on 31 March 2025.

We will use the Household Support Fund money to provide vouchers for households who receive benefit related Free School Meals during the school holidays. We will also give funding to some of our partner organisations to provide support for food, fuel, and energy costs.

Discretionary Crisis Scheme

If you are a B&NES resident on a low income and struggling financially, you may be entitled to receive a one-off payment to help with your energy costs, bills, and other living expenses. We may also consider applications from residents that are in financial crisis due to circumstances that are beyond your control.

Please be aware that we have limited funds for this scheme. Once we have allocated the money, we are unable to make any further payments.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Discretionary Crisis Fund, you must:

• be over 18
• live in Bath and North East Somerset
• not have sufficient money to pay for essentials
• not have savings over £2,000 

WarningIf you are a pensioner and have received a letter from the Welfare Support Team, you will automatically qualify for a payment, and no saving limits will apply.

Please note, only one payment will be made per household, unless exceptional circumstances apply. The amount awarded will be based on the circumstances and evidence you provide.

Before you start

During the application, you must upload:

• Your latest wage slip, if you work
• Two months of recent bank statements, for all accounts held, that clearly show all transactions

Bank statements must include your name, sort code and account number. We cannot accept screenshots and will only accept full bank statements.

If you do not provide all the requested information when applying, your application will be rejected, and you will have to reapply.

Apply for the Discretionary Crisis Fund

Warning If you need urgent support to pay for food, do not apply online. Please call Welfare Support on 01225 477277

To apply for the Discretionary Crisis Fund, please complete our online form. We will only make one payment per household unless exceptional circumstances apply.

Alternative formats

Paper forms are available on request, please email hsf@bathnes.gov.uk.

If you need support completing the form online or on paper, please call 01225 477277 and select option 2. A member of staff will help you with your application.

What happens next?

We aim to process applications within 21 working days. However, please be aware that this may take longer due to the number of applications we receive.

Unless you are providing evidence, please do not submit further applications or try to contact us regarding your application while you're waiting for a response, this will delay the processing of your application.