Dudley residents will be able to apply for a share of a £2.625 million from Wednesday next week.

Dudley Council was awarded the household support funding by the Department for Work and Pensions, and from midday on July 17, residents will be able to apply for a one-off payment of £200.

The funding will be used to support people the council and voluntary services are already in contact with.

However, £400,000 has been made available to help others who are struggling with living costs.

The one-off £200 payments will be subject to eligibility and availability.

Councillor Steve Clark, cabinet member for finance, said: "I’m pleased we’re once again able to offer one-off payments to residents in the borough.

"As ever we do expect demand to be high, so I’d urge people to get online and apply as soon as the fund goes live on July 17.

"Previous experience has shown that it is highly likely we will have to close the application process very quickly.

"But this isn’t the only way people can be supported through the household support fund.

"More than £2 million is being shared between council services and the voluntary sector to support those in need.

"This include providing free school meals in the school holidays, access to holiday activities, fuel vouchers and more."

Applications are expected to take two to four weeks to process due to high demand.

More information about the household support fund and the application process can be found on the council website.