New cost of living payments are being made available to all households in England from April, including payments for those struggling with the cost of heating oil following the recent crisis in the Middle East.

The Household Support Fund, the previous DWP funded scheme which made money available to households from local councils to meet the cost of energy bills, food shops with supermarket vouchers and free school meals, is ending on March 31.

Instead, on April 1, a new scheme known as the Crisis Resilience Fund is being put in place.

The scheme begins on April 1 2026 and will run until March 31, 2029. The fund aims to ‘support low income households who encounter financial shock’ and to ‘build individual and community resilience’, says the Department for Work and Pensions.

The scheme will offer all sorts of different methods of support, including direct cash crisis payments, food handouts, essential furniture and supplies and advice and guidance on budgeting and ‘income maximisation’ as well as housing payments to help cover rental costs.

It will also offer supermarket vouchers, just as the HSF did, and vouchers for other types of stores for local shops.

On Monday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer also announced funding to help households struggling with the sudden increase in the cost of heating oil, which has more than doubled in price in a few weeks. The government says the heating oil support funding, worth £53M, will be rolled into the new Crisis Resilience Fund from April, and will be part of the Household Support Fund before then.

The DWP says about the Crisis Resilience Fund: “Within the CRF, Authorities are encouraged to invest in ‘Resilience Services’ that contribute towards improving the financial resilience of individuals. Financial resilience refers to the ability of individuals to withstand and recover from financial shocks – such as sudden income loss or unexpected expenses. The purpose of building financial resilience is to enable individuals to better manage future financial shocks and reduce the need for crisis support. A number of factors can contribute to, or impact, financial resilience.”

The government says money will be handed out by local authorities at their discretion.

It says: “In deciding whether to award a Crisis Payment, Authorities should consider a crisis as a circumstance of pressing need which requires immediate action to prevent or remedy negative outcomes. This could include, but is not limited to, people going without material essentials such as food, shelter, heating, essential items such as furniture and appliances or services such as water or energy. The cause or preventability of the crisis is not considered a relevant factor.

“A financial shock, such as a car or household appliance breaking down, a bus route being cut or an unexpected bill, can be the tipping point that leaves a household in crisis. Well-timed and effective crisis support, delivered through a cash-first approach, can prevent a financial shock creating or escalating a crisis.”

It adds: “There is no prescriptive list which provides a comprehensive definition of the type of crisis that causes a financial shock. It is at the Authority’s discretion to determine whether an individual’s situation constitutes a crisis, but it may include: