Hard-up families can apply for free £570 voucher to pay for food and bills

HARD-UP families can apply for free vouchers worth around £570 to pay for food and bills.

The money is being handed out by a local council as part of the £500million Household Support Fund.

Councils across the country are supporting struggling families to help them pay for essential costs such as food and energy bills.

For example, residents of Wealden in East Sussex can apply for a one-off payment of £250 to pay off energy and water bill debts.

They can also access vouchers to spend at major supermarket chains including Sainsbury's, Tesco, Morrisons, Asda and ALdi.

Eligible applicants will get food vouchers worth up to £100 for each adult in the household - not including grown-up children.

They'll also get £15 a week per child under 18, capped at £60 each.

That means a family of four, with two adults and two kids, could get a total pay out of £570.

Applications are open until March 31, but it could close sooner if the funding runs out so you should make a claim as soon as possible.

The support you're able to get depends on where in the country you live.

For example in Elmbridge in Surrey you can get a one-off payment of £100 to help pay for food and bills until Jan 31.

Meanwhile, families in Barnsley can apply for supermarket vouchers worth up to £200.

To find out what help you can get where you live, you can find your local council using 

You can then see the help you can get from the Household Support Fund, who's eligible and how to apply.

In Wealden, you have to be in receipt of certain benefits such as Universal Credit in order to qualify.

But other local authorities have based their decisions on different criteria, including households eligible for a council tax discount.