Various grants and support are provided by central and local government to help people with the costs of heating, energy, fuel, food, and other services during the current cost of living crisis. Most of this support is not available to people with no recourse to public funds.
The Welsh Government provides the Discretionary Assistance Fund, which offers two grants to people in need who are living in Wales: Emergency Assistance Payments and Individual Assistance Payments. Only the Emergency Assistance Payment is available to people with no recourse to public funds.
The Household Support Fund is funded by the UK government and delivered by local councils in England to provide assistance to residents in need to help with cost of living pressures. Councils have used the fund to provide support in different ways, including through one-off grants to households to help with the costs of food, energy and other essentials.
A payment made by a council from the Household Support Fund is a 'public fund' for immigration purposes, as it is made under section 1 Localism Act 2011. Therefore, a payment or financial grant cannot be made to a resident who has no recourse to public funds. The Home Office may consider that a person has breached their immigration conditions if they have received a financial payment from the Household Support Fund.
Government guidance for councils suggests that residents with no recourse to public funds may only be able to benefit from the Household Support Fund if support is administered to families or people with care needs under section 17 Children Act 1989 or the Care Act 2014.
Anyone who has no recourse to public funds can contact their local council to find out what support is being offered. If they have leave to remain with NRPF, they may wish to seek advice from an immigration adviser before applying for assistance, particularly if they are offered a payment.
The Warm Home Discount Scheme provides people who are receiving the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit or who are on a low income with a £150 discount off their electricity (or, in some cases, gas) bill between 11 August 2024 and 31 March 2025. The discount is administered by the energy provider.
Energy customers in England and Wales who do not get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit but are on a low income and in receipt of a qualifying benefit may be able to apply to their energy provider for a discount if their property has a high energy cost score. Slightly different requirements apply to energy customers living in Scotland. Government guidance states that a person or their partner will need to get certain means-tested benefits or tax credits in order to qualify for a discount on the basis of having a low income.
As all the qualifying benefits are public funds for immigration purposes, a person with no recourse to public funds will not qualify for the discount, unless they have a partner who is receiving one of the qualifying benefits. As the Warm Home Discount Scheme is not a public fund for immigration purposes, a person who has leave to remain with NRPF will not be breaching their immigration conditions if they receive the Warm Homes Discount from their energy provider.
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