More than £2m has been paid to thousands of Swansea householders over the last week as part of a scheme to help people heat their homes.
The fuel support scheme that went live on the morning of Monday September 26 means eligible households are entitled to claim a £200 payment.
With a deadline of February 28 next year to apply, information on eligibility and application forms are now available at swansea.gov.uk/fuelsupport
At least 21,000 households in Swansea can claim the payment to help deal with the cost of fuel bills.
Over 10,000 of these householders have now been paid, with Swansea Council officers pulling out all the stops to make payments as quickly as possible for all successful applicants.
The fuel support scheme is funded by the Welsh Government and run by the council.
Cllr Rob Stewart, Swansea Council Leader, said: “The cost of living crisis means many families in Swansea are worried about how they will heat their homes and make ends meet this winter, so we’re doing all we can to support them.
“We received 13,000 fuel support scheme applications within the first few days of the scheme going live, with over £2m worth of payments now made.
“This is a credit to all council staff involved, who are also receiving hundreds of calls and emails a day about this payment. That’s why we’d ask residents for their patience while teams work tirelessly to answer questions and ensure payments are made to eligible applicants as quickly as possible.
“The council has written to all households we’re able to identify as eligible for this payment according to the information we have, but we know there will be other people who are eligible too.
“We’d urge anyone who thinks they’re eligible but hasn’t received a letter to head to our website for more information.”
These payments are in addition to the energy bill rebate being offered by the UK Government and the winter fuel payment normally paid to pensioners by the Department for Work and Pensions.
The council has also been processing thousands of last-minute applications for £150 cost of living payments.
Almost £11m has now been paid to more than 74,000 households in Swansea as part of that scheme, which has now closed and is also being funded by the Welsh Government.
Residents who were unable to reach the council about this last week are asked to get in touch again this week
