Households to receive free cost of living help worth £50 this month

01 January 2024 , 09:20

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Southend Council is giving out £50 worth of supermarket vouchers to struggling households this month (Image: Getty Images/Westend61)

Households will be receiving a free supermarket voucher worth £50 this month to help with food costs.

The vouchers will be given to households in Southend through their council's Household Support Fund. This is a Government-funded scheme which provides each local council a pot of cash which they must use to support struggling residents in its area with the cost of living.

Southend Council will be giving out supermarket vouchers for households with children who receive free school meals. The help will be given automatically so you do not need to apply. If you are eligible you will be notified by your child's school. A £50 voucher will be then issued to you to help with grocery shopping.

A £50 voucher will be issued for each eligible child meaning if you have more than one child you could receive multiple vouchers. Southend Council provided vouchers for struggling families in June of last year and will be issuing them again in January 2024 - so if you are eligible you will be contacted about the support this month.

What is the Household Support Fund?

The Household Support Fund is given to each local authority in the country but there is no set criteria for what help local councils can offer. Each council is given a pot of cash and they then decide the help they offer and who is eligible for it. Often help is targeted at people on low incomes, pensioners, care leavers and people with disabilities - although help is offered to people outside of these groups.

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The scheme was first introduced in October 2021 and has since been extended multiple times. The most recent expansion gave the fund an £842million to spend between April 2023 to March 2024. This takes the total amount allocated to the fund to over £2billion since it was brought in.

The Government has not confirmed whether another extension will be made from April 2024. The money from the Household Support Fund can only be used on support for local people and if there is any money left over, councils must give it back to the Government. This means that once the money has been spent the council may likely close its Household Support Fund scheme.

Support offered through the fund often consists of free cash, supermarket vouchers and energy bill support. Each council website should have a dedicated page set up with details of its Household Support Fund. You will be able to find what help you can access through there. If you're struggling, you should get in contact with your local council as soon as possible to see what help you could receive.

Ruby Flanagan