Thousands of families are entitled to support through local councils

Are YOU eligible for £500 worth of supermarket vouchers? Thousands of families are entitled to free support through local councils – how to claim

Councils have money from Household Support Fund to help vulnerable families
Each council gets different amount based on size of area, population, and need
Read more: With highest tax since war, average household now owes £16,200

Thousands of families are entitled to free support through local councils worth up to £500 through a council help scheme.

Using the Household Support Fund with from the government to help vulnerable households, councils can distribute this funding at their own discretion, meaning it varies up and down the country.

Each council gets a different portion of funding depending on the size of the catchment area, population, and need.

The support varies from council to council and some might give out energy vouchers or free cash grants instead of supermarket vouchers.

Using the Household Support Fund, which receives money from the government to help vulnerable households, councils can distribute this funding at their own discretion, meaning it varies up and down the country

What kind of help each council offers is often outlined on their website, so you can check what help is available to claim and how exactly you can claim it.

Which supermarkets the vouchers are for varies per council, as some only give out vouchers to Asda, Morrisons, or Tesco, while others provide more choice with vouchers for Aldi, Asda, M&S, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose.

Who is eligible for the free support from their council?

The eligibility criteria vary per council; some give the support to households who are receiving Housing Benefit or Council Tax support, for example.

Most councils state who is able to claim the vouchers on their website.

Some councils will contact eligible households directly while others require you to apply for yourself online, or over the phone.

Eligible families will only be able to claim the vouchers once, and only if they haven’t received any from the previous Household Support Fund last year.

What are councils offering to eligible households?

Luton Borough Council gives out supermarket vouchers as part of their Household Support scheme with eligible residents being able to claim between £100 to £500 in vouchers.

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They state they only accept one claim per household and will tell you the exact amount you are eligible for after assessing your claim.

Plymouth City Council is also giving out supermarket vouchers of up to £180 which can be spent at either Asda, Morrisons, or Tesco.

Like Luton, only one claim can be made per household and will only be approved if you did not receive support from the previous Household Support Fund between July 6, 2022 and November 27, 2022.

The councils in Camden and Ealing are providing supermarket vouchers to households with underage children who are receiving Housing Benefit or Council Tax support or who are eligible for free school meals.

In Camden, eligible families will get £15 worth of vouchers for every child who lives in the home in February 2023 and in Ealing households will receive £15 per child in February as well as another £30 per child in March.

North Yorkshire County Council is offering vouchers of up to £325 which can be spent in supermarkets Aldi, Asda, M&S, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose.

The council has sent letters to all eligible households and they have until Wednesday, February 15, to select their e-voucher on the North Yorkshire Council Household Support Fund web page using the personalised code stated in the letter.

How can you claim the support and when is the deadline?

If you think YOU are eligible to claim through the Household Support Fund then you will need to apply on your council’s website or via phone – if you haven’t already received a letter from your council – as soon as you can.

The support is given out on a first-come-first-serve basis, so the sooner a claim is more, the higher the chance it will be successful.

The deadline for councils to hand out the latest round of cash support is March 31, 2023.

The Government has said that all Household Support Funding needs to be spent before this deadline and the money cannot be carried over to be spent in the future.

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