Help with heating oil costs

If you use heating oil to heat your home and are worried about running out, you may be able to get financial help.

Kent County Council provides emergency support through the Crisis and Resilience Fund for households facing immediate difficulty with heating oil costs.

Who this support is for

You may be able to apply if you:

• live in the Tunbridge Wells borough area
• are aged 16 or over
• are on a low income
  (for example, receiving benefits or with a household income of £33,000 a year or less)
• use heating oil as your main source of heating or hot water
• are running low on oil
  (usually 150 litres or less, with priority given to households with under 100 litres)
• cannot afford the minimum delivery needed to refill your tank

What you can get

If your application is successful, you may receive a £300 payment to help towards the cost of heating oil.

This is a contribution to help with costs — it will not usually cover a full tank refill.

How to apply

To apply, contact Citizens Advice (Kent Advice Hub).

What you will need

You will be asked to provide evidence such as:

• proof of financial circumstances, such as:
  • bank statements from the last 3 months
  • payslips from the last 3 months
  • evidence of benefits received
• proof of identity and address, such as:
  • National Insurance number and a bank statement
  • Council Tax bill or utility bill
• proof of heating oil use, such as:
  • a recent invoice or delivery receipt
  • bank statement showing payment to a heating oil supplier
  • tenancy agreement confirming oil based heating
• proof of current tank level, for example a photo of the tank gauge.

Important information

• This is a limited, discretionary fund and not all applications will be successful
• Applications are assessed based on urgency and need
• Support is intended for short-term help in a crisis, not ongoing fuel costs