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Canterbury: Household Support Fund & Crisis and Resilience Fund

What Canterbury’s local crisis scheme covers, how to apply, and whether it was open when we checked.

Written by the benefitmoney.co.uk editorial team · Last reviewed 14 September 2026

Canterbury City Council runs its local crisis help as the Crisis and Resilience Fund. It is a grant — not a loan: help with essentials, nothing to repay. This is a summary; Canterbury’s own page (linked below) is the authority and the current position.

What Canterbury’s scheme covers

Award: £300 towards heating oil costs
Who qualifies: Means-tested benefits or household income up to £33,000, using heating oil, low on oil
How to apply: Apply online, or phone if unable to use the online form
Decision: Outcome typically given within 28 days
You will need: Photo of the oil tank gauge plus proof of income/benefits
Not covered: Flooring not provided for temporary accommodation
Funding period: Home Essentials Scheme runs Aug-Nov 2026 and Jan-Feb 2027
Government allocation: £229,471 for 2026-27

Canterbury City Council is one of 12 district councils in Kent. In a two-tier area the county council runs crisis payments and the district runs the housing side of the fund — rent shortfalls, a deposit, rent in advance. Kent County Council was allocated £20,169,772 for 2026-27; Canterbury City Council was allocated £229,471 of its own. If what you need is help with food or energy rather than rent, start with the Kent scheme.

What Canterbury itself says

Award. “£300 towards the rising cost of heating oil”
Who qualifies. “get means‑tested benefits or have a total household income of £33,000 or less per year”
How to apply. “contact us on 01227 862000”
Decision. “We will try to let you know of the outcome of your application within 28 days”
Not covered. “cannot provide flooring for temporary accommodation”
Funding period. “between 6 August and 19 November 2026, and 4 January and 26 February 2027”

Quoted from Canterbury’s own page↗ and its application page↗, checked 14 September 2026. Nothing on this page is paraphrased into a rule the council has not published. The government allocation is from Annex A of the Crisis and Resilience Fund grant determination 2026 to 2027↗.

Apply on Canterbury’s website

Applications are made on the council’s own site — this page collects nothing. If the link has moved, search the council site for “crisis and resilience”, then “household support”, then “welfare assistance”.

Open the Canterbury scheme page

Source: Canterbury City Council — Crisis and Resilience Fund. Opened 10 September 2026.

Where this money comes from

Central government funds it; the council sets the rules. A payment does not affect your benefits. How the fund works nationally.

Other help you may qualify for

Credit union loans — the cheapest borrowing, capped at 3% a month.
DWP phone numbers — which line to call, and for what.
Borrowing while on benefits — what it costs and what it does to your award.
Crisis Loans — what replaced them, and where to apply now.

Not in Canterbury?

See the other councils we have checked, or find yours via GOV.UK’s Get help with the cost of living from your local council↗.

Outside England the scheme has a different name: the Scottish Welfare Fund in Scotland, the Discretionary Assistance Fund in Wales, and Discretionary Support in Northern Ireland.

Recently checked elsewhere: Castle Point, Gloucestershire, Somerset — see all 141.

Find your council by postcode

Not in Canterbury? Enter a postcode and we will point you at the right council’s Crisis and Resilience Fund page.

We look the postcode up with the free postcodes.io service to find your local authority. Nothing you type is stored.

This page is independent. It is not run by Canterbury City Council, the Department for Work and Pensions or GOV.UK. Council schemes change without notice; the council’s own page is always the current position.