On 21 January 2026 the Department for Work and Pensions updated statutory guidance for the Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF), a three‑year programme running from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2029. The guidance gives local authorities — including South Derbyshire District Council — a predictable local budget to provide emergency financial help and to fund services that build residents’ financial resilience and protect people’s ability to stay in work.
The CRF replaces the Household Support Fund and brings together crisis payments, a Housing Payment strand and funding for “Resilience Services” such as debt advice and employment support. DWP guidance says local authorities should take a “cash‑first” approach to Crisis Payments and may also use vouchers or in‑kind provision. The Housing Payment strand replaces Discretionary Housing Payments from April 2026 but is generally targeted at people entitled to Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.
DWP guidance explicitly encourages councils to use the fund to mitigate financial shocks that affect work — examples include essential transport costs (for example, repairing a car or buying a bus pass), childcare emergencies and shortfalls in housing costs. Local authorities will set the exact eligibility rules and application routes for their areas; South Derbyshire District Council will decide how the scheme operates for Swadlincote residents.
Swadlincote Jobcentre Plus (the local office at Market Street / The Delph Centre) is identified as a key local partner for signposting and referrals, and local councils are expected to publicise how and where people can apply or be referred. The CRF also requires authorities to invest in Resilience Services such as accredited debt and money advice, delivered by councils or local charities, to give longer‑term support beyond one‑off crisis awards.
The move follows the Household Support Fund era — a series of shorter‑term allocations that ran in recent years (Derbyshire’s HSF funding covered support up to 31 March 2026) — and is intended to provide more stable funding for local crisis support and longer‑term financial resilience through March 2029.
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