Residents in Dorset on low incomes have until Tuesday March 5 to apply for funding to help cover rising costs.

The latest round of Dorset Council's Household Support Fund is closing soon with residents having until 10am on Tuesday, March 5 to apply for the fund.

The f und is provided by the Department for Work and Pensions and is managed by Citizens Advice in Dorset on behalf of the council.

The scheme sees successful applicants receive supermarket vouchers of £150  who meet the eligibility criteria.

Vouchers are received within six to eight weeks application and are limited to one per household.

households within the Dorset Council area are eligible to apply if their annual net income is less than £30,000, have savings of less than £16,000, and have not applied for a previous Household Support Fund payment within the last six months.

Calculations for the annual net income do not include Personal Independence Payments, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Carers Allowance, or Child Benefit.

A spokesperson for Dorset Council said: "Low-income households in the Dorset Council area will be able to apply for the next round of the Household Support Fund  to help with rising costs.

"If you are applying in this window, please make sure you have not applied for a previous HSF payment since September 2023 as further vouchers cannot be issued and there are a very limited number of applications available for this window.

To find out more about the fund and the eligibility criteria visit https://orlo.uk/fj9qy