Cash for Christmas: Preston City Council tells residents how to apply for up to £400
Preston residents affected by government benefit caps have been told how they can apply for up to £400 in cost-of-living support ahead of Christmas.
As the Lancashire Post revealed last month, Preston City Council is to make one-off payments to help households struggling as a result of limits on the amount they can claim in benefits - including as a result of having more than two children.
However, the payouts will not be made automatically - and will require eligible individuals to apply directly to the authority. The online system for doing so is now open.
Those subject to a benefit cap will be entitled to different amounts depending how much a household is deemed to have 'lost' in money that would otherwise have been due.
Payments - largely expected to be made to those hit by the two-child benefit cap, but also open to people affected by the overall household claims limit - will be made across four bands: with £50 for those losing up to £50 a week; £100 for those losing £50-£100 a week; £300 for those losing £100-£200 a week; and £400 for those losing more than £200 a week.
Eligibility will be by application and based on presentation of benefit cap evidence. Only one application per household is permitted between November 2025 and March 2026 and applicants must live in the Preston City Council area.
The online application form is open until March 2026 - and only one payment will be made per family. Applications can be made via the Preston City Council website - www.preston.gov.uk/costoflivingsupport.
The authority’s leader, Matthew Brown, said: “Preston City Council is taking the initiative with the introduction of cost-of-living targeted support measures, designed to give families across the city an important uplift during the most challenging months of the year.”
“No family in Preston should face the choice between keeping the heating on and putting food on the table. This new support payment is one of several steps we are taking to ease that pressure and ensure families across Preston feel supported through the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.”
The benefit cap support is part of a wider, £805k cost-of-living package being delivered by the authority, including the introduction of free swimming for pensioners and those on low incomes and the cancellation of council tax for the terminally ill.
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