Council cash for struggling households

Herefordshire is to get over £1.3 million from a Government fund for needy households – but the money has to be spent by the end of September.

Worth £420 million nationally, the Household Support Fund is intended to support those facing hardship due to the increasing cost of living.

The Government says councils “have discretion on exactly how this funding is used”, but that it should focus on those “who would otherwise struggle with energy, food and water bills”.

At least one-third should go to households with children, and at least a further third to pensioners, while recipients need not be already claiming welfare benefits, the Government’s guidelines say.

A Herefordshire Council spokesperson said: “The funding needs to be spent by the end of September, and we are finalising the local eligibility criteria.”

A council report on the fund proposes a cap in payments of £500 per household, and gives a range of possible ways of distributing this, including as children’s holiday food vouchers, help with food via food banks, and potential one-off payments to pensioners on low incomes.