HELPING HAND
Full list of locations offering supermarket vouchers worth up to £225 this half term to spend at Tesco and Asda
Plus we reveal how you can save on your supermarket shop
THOUSANDS of struggling households can claim up to £225 in supermarket vouchers to help with food costs this half term.
The support is provided through the Household Support Fund (HSF) scheme, which has been extended until September 2024.
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Each council gets a different portion of funding depending on the size of the catchment area, population, and need.
Households could get supermarket vouchers or cash grants worth up to £500, depending on what their council is offering.
Some councils will make payouts automatically and others will require you to fill in an application form.
You'll usually need to be on a low income to receive the help.
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We've listed what's on offer from several different councils right now.
Plus, we've explained if you need to apply for the support.
Hertfordshire Council
Families in Hertfordshire receiving benefit-related free school meals will receive a £15 voucher in the May half term.
Plus the council has already announced they'll get £60 voucher in the summer holidays.
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Information on the website also adds there will also be assistance from the fund for food banks and energy support, as well as services for homeless people and survivors of domestic abuse.
Care leavers aged over 19 will also be eligible for £50 vouchers, with around 475 individuals expected to take up the offer based on previous years.
How to find the best bargains at the supermarket
Ealing Council
Ealing has been allocated £2.6million to support low-income families between now and the end of September 2024.
All of the following supermarket vouchers will be provided by the council's partner, Blackhawk.
Families eligible for benefits related free school meals, based on low income, will get supermarket vouchers:
- May 2024 - £15 per child
- July 2024 - £90 per child
Families with children under the age of five, who get housing benefit and/or council tax reduction:
- May 2024 - £15 per household
- July 2024 - £90 per household
Ealing care leavers will get supermarket vouchers:
- May 2024 - £100 per care leaver
- July 2024 - £100 per care leaver
If you are eligible, you do not need to apply for the vouchers.
They can be used at Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Lidl and Aldi, according to Birmingham Live.
Eligible families will receive either an email or letter from Blackhawk with a 16-digit, personalised code and instructions to redeem the vouchers by visiting ealingcouncil.select-your-reward.co.uk.
Hartlepool Borough Council
The majority of Hartlepool's HSF funding is targeted at children and pensioners in low-income households.
The funding is allocated to these two groups in the form of shopping vouchers for food or in some cases as a bank payment.
Eligible households could get:
- £60 shopping vouchers per child in receipt of free school meals
- £60 shopping vouchers to low-income pensioners
There is no need to apply and low-income children and pensioners will receive their shopping vouchers or payments
Find out more by visiting www.hartlepool.gov.uk/info/20127/benefits_and_grants/1086/household_support_fund.
How has the Household Support Fund evolved?
THE Household Support Fund was first launched in October 2021 to help Brits pay their way through winter amid the cost of living crisis.
Councils up and down the country got a slice of the £500million funding available to dish out to Brits in need.
It was then extended for a second time in the 2022 Spring Budget and for a third time in October 2022 to help those on the lowest incomes with the rising cost of living.
The DWP then confirmed a fourth extension of the scheme through to March 31, 2024.
Chancellor Jeremey Hunt extended the HSF for the fifth time while delivering his Spring Budget on March 6, 2024.
Medway Council
Medway Council is also supporting residents by offering them supermarket vouchers as well.
The supermarket voucher values vary depending on your circumstances. This is how much you could get:
- £65 for single-person households
- £85 for households with two people
- £115 for households with three people
- £155 for households with four people
- £190 for households with five people
- £225 for households with six or more people
The supermarket vouchers will be emailed to people which can then be used to claim digital gift codes.
You can find out more by visiting www.medway.gov.uk/info/200131/council_tax_and_benefits/1481/household_support_fund
What support is available elsewhere
The support provided varies from council to council, so it's worth checking the schemes your local council has in place to make sure you receive all the assistance available.
You can find what council area you fall under by using the Government's tool on its website.
You don't need to worry about additional support impacting existing benefits, as these will be unaffected by payments from the HSF.
And, you do not need necessarily need to be in receipt of benefits to receive vouchers or funds from the HSF.
Check with your local council to find out what support is available and the eligibility criteria.
How do you apply?
To get the help, you'll need to check with your council - as local authorities are in charge of distributing the funding.
Information on how to apply for the funding should be published on your council's website. Each council will have a different application process.
Many councils won't actually require you to apply for the help and will contact you about it, or issue vouchers via email or your child's school.
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As well as supermarket vouchers, you could qualify for electronic energy cards or e-vouchers to help with water bills.
If there's no information on your council's website, then it's best to ring them up and ask for more information.
How to save on your supermarket shop
THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.
You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they've been reduced.
If the food is fresh, you'll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.
Making a list should also save you money, as you'll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
This means ditching "finest" or "luxury" products and instead going for "own" or value" type of lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they're misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
If you're on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.
Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
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