How will you get food vouchers for the college holidays?

Isobel Lawrance


thirty first Jul 2023

Reading Time: 9 minutes

How will you get food vouchers for the college holidays?

The college summer holidays are in full swing, and kids all over the place are basking in the joys of day off school. But it might be difficult throughout the school breaks for individuals who claim free school meals during term time.

Feeding children after they are away from with the ability to get free school meals day by day can place strain on the wallets of oldsters all over the place, in addition to bringing a brand new stress to them day by day. 1000’s of struggling households can rise up to £390 in food vouchers for the vacations.

The Household Support Fund (HSF)

The Household Support Fund (HSF) was introduced by the federal government in 2021, and is a pot of cash allocated to councils across England. The fund is price over £2 billion to date, helping vulnerable households across the country.

A part of the fund is allocated to food – and helping those that claim free school meals or certain advantages receive support throughout the school holidays. What you’ll be able to receive from the HSF relies on where you reside – different council have received different amounts of cash from the federal government. Similarly, some assistance is targeted at those that claim free school meals specifically, whilst other support is for those on certain advantages.

Food vouchers

Local authorities are likely to deliver the scheme through quite a lot of routes – nonetheless many give vouchers to households. Other councils may provide food or goods directly, or issue grants to 3rd parties. Vouchers could be redeemed at plenty of food outlets including supermarkets and foodbanks.

The HSF is different from the Holiday Activity and Food Programme (HAF). The HAF programme provides free holiday club places with enriching activities and healthy meals to eligible children from low-income families. 

To search out out more about accessing support throughout the school holidays, click here.

England

The HSF is just available in England at present. Below you can find the support available for each county in England.

Avon

For those in Avon, you’ll be able to gain access to free support with money, including help with food, housing, energy bills, training and general wellbeing. You may apply here.

Bedfordshire

Central Bedfordshire Council has been allocated £2.9 million of funding from the Department for Work and Pensions to support households in Central Bedfordshire between April 2023 and March 2024 with food, energy and water bills, and other wider essentials. Click here to use.

Berkshire

West Berkshire Council has been allocated funding to help with costs comparable to energy bills, food, clothing and housing in exceptional circumstances. Priority shall be given to households who’re ineligible for other government support and vulnerable groups regarding the price of living crisis. Click here to use.

Buckinghamshire

Buckinghamshire Council provide free digital food vouchers to families with children eligible for free school meals, early years’ pupil premium or a 2-year-old funded free education place. If your loved ones is eligible you’ll receive a voucher code out of your school or early years setting. Discover more here.

Cambridgeshire

In Cambridgeshire, you might be eligible to accesssupport through the HSF if all the next apply to you (and your spouse/partner):

• Currently live in Cambridgeshire
• Have £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments
• Have low income levels
• Haven’t applied throughout the last 3 months

Discover more here.

Cheshire

Cheshire East Council have a great deal of help available here.

Cheshire West Council shall be allocating £15 per week for every free school meal pupil to make sure families have the needed financial support for food throughout the school holiday periods. There isn’t a need for families to use for this support as schools in Cheshire West and Chester will distribute the vouchers to eligible families prior to the next school holiday periods. Read more here.

Cornwall

Cornwall Council has secured £9 million kilos from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for the HSF. The Fund will mainly be used to offer one-off money payments to assist with the increased cost of living. £160 per child to families with children eligible for advantages related free school meals in Reception to 12 months 11 is accessible. 2 payments of £80 shall be made, with the primary payment being made in June 2023. A second payment shall be made in November 2023. Payments shall be made direct to families and you don’t want to use. Discover more here.

• Cumbria

• Cumberland Council has a limited amount of cash available through the Household Support Fund to assist people who find themselves in financial crisis due to rising prices. Payments will only be made to assist households in immediate crisis – for instance, those unable to purchase food, pay energy bills or buy other essentials. Click here to use.

Derbyshire

Households facing financial hardship in Derbyshire can apply on to the Derbyshire Discretionary Fund for help towards their food, and energy costs. Households can access as much as 3 awards in a 12-month period. Payments are £64 per household plus an additional £20 shall be provided for a partner or spouse, and every dependent child aged under 19. Click here to use.

Devon

If a toddler or young person in a household qualifies at no cost school meals in term time then, currently, they robotically qualify at no cost school meal holiday vouchers from Devon Council. Households currently in receipt of free school meals are eligible for a supermarket voucher to the worth of £15 per child per week of the college holidays to assist pay for groceries over the break.

The vouchers will robotically be distributed to eligible households prior to the summer holiday. Discover more here.

Dorset

Residents Advice in Dorset are managing a number of the Fund on our behalf via a voucher scheme. Supermarket vouchers of £150 shall be issued to residents who meet the eligibility criteria inside 6 to eight weeks of their application date. Applications are limited to 1 per household. Click here to use.

Durham

Durham council has been allocated £9.3 million to offer support to low income and vulnerable households who could also be combating their energy and food costs, or who need other essential home items. You must robotically receive help. For those who haven’t, click here.

Essex

For those who are facing hardship, you’ll be able to get help together with your essential household costs. The organisations on this page can make it easier to to access support through the Department for Work and Pensions’ Household Support Fund. You do not want to be claiming advantages to get support.

Gloucestershire

The DWP has provided Gloucestershire with of funding of £7,384,966. It will provide support to vulnerable households in most need of support, to assist with significantly rising living costs. Click here to use.

Hampshire

Households in Hampshire who’re struggling to afford necessities comparable to food and fuel can get extra help from the connect4communities programme, funded by the HSF. Click here to seek out out more.

Herefordshire

Food vouchers shall be provided at no cost school meal or pupil premium children throughout the school holidays. The vouchers are based on a minimum of £15 per week for every week of the vacations and schools must have organised directly with families who’re entitled. Click here for more.

Hertfordshire

To support with the price of living, Hertfordshire Council has been supplied with funding from the federal government’s Household Support Fund. This shall be used to assist people in need with things like the price of energy and food. Click here to use.

Isle of Wight

Those on the Isle of Wight can discover more about receiving food vouchers from the HSF here.

Kent

In Kent, you shall be eligible for food vouchers if a number of of the next apply:

• Aged 16 or over
• Be permanently living inside certainly one of the 12 local authorities covered by Kent County Council (this excludes Medway, Bexley or Bromley)
• Be in receipt of means tested advantages or have a household income of lower than £40,000 a 12 months before tax
• Have lower than £1,000 in savings
• Not get means-tested free school meals for any of your kids

Discover more here.

Lancashire

For those who are a parent or carer of a toddler attending school (5 to 16-year-old) you’ll receive an electronic shopping voucher out of your child’s school. For those who are eligible, and have any questions, please speak to your child’s school. Discover more here.

Leicestershire

Households with children are eligible for as much as £20  per adult per week and £15  per child  per week (for max of two weeks). Single households can rise up to £25  per week (for max of two weeks). Multiple adult households can get £20 per adult per week (for max of two weeks). Discover more here.

Lincolnshire

Lincolnshire has been awarded an extra £10,929,370 from the HSF. Roughly 43% of the funding shall be delegated to colleges and early years providers to support for youngsters eligible for benefit-related free school meals, early years pupil premium and families with a 2-year-old eligible for early years entitlement. Click here to seek out out more.

London

Those in London can check with their local council to seek out out what support is accessible. Find your local council here.

Merseyside

Those in Liverpool can find a number of monetary support and food help throughout the school holidays. Click here to seek out out more.

Norfolk

Norfolk was given £13.39m from the Government to support residents who’re struggling to pay their energy and utility bills. This includes support for single households, families with or without children, older people and disabled people. The council have also provided an additional £400,000 to support people further. Click here to use.

Northamptonshire

North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire Councils have different provisions for residents, depending in your location. Click here to seek out out what your council has to supply.

Northumberland

In Northumberland, the HSF can support with food, energy and bills, housing costs and more. For those who are awarded a food e-voucher, you will want to go surfing to convert this right into a gift card for Aldi, Iceland, Morrisons, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose. Click here to apply.

Nottinghamshire

£11.2 million in total has been given to Nottinghamshire to be administered by Nottinghamshire County Council in partnership with local district and borough councils. Summer and Winter support payments, each price around £100 per household (based on variety of eligible household occupants), will proceed to support families with children entitled to Free School Meals in addition to other households and individuals combating rising costs. Click here for more.

1. Those that receive Housing Advantages but don’t also receive other qualifying advantages is not going to receive the national cost of living payments in 2022/23 or 2023/24. The County Council is using the Household Support Fund to make an expected payment of £450 to those residents. Those eligible residents will receive a letter from the Council throughout the summer. Click here for more information.

Those is Rutland may have the ability to receive a food voucher for households with school aged children for the college breaks, a one-off payment of £100 to eligible households in receipt of Local Council Tax Support, or a one-off payment of £100 to care leavers. Click here to use.

Shropshire

Shropshire has been given a grant of £4.1 million from the Government’s national HSF Grant Scheme. Children in receipt of benefits-related free school meals in Shropshire will proceed to receive support, normally through meal vouchers. Funding is for 10 weeks in total, which incorporates summer half term, 3 weeks of  the summer holiday, October half term, Christmas holiday, spring half term and the Easter holiday. This might profit around 7,500 children, who will get an similar to £15 every week of support during these holiday periods.increases. Click here to use.

Somerset

In Somerset, you can get help no matter your work situation, provided you show that you simply are struggling to pay for essentials. The Household Support Fund is not going to affect your advantages. Click here to use.

Staffordshire

Education Settings in Staffordshire shall be supplied with £20.00 supermarket eVouchers for his or her children that meet the eligibility criteria. Click here to seek out out more.

Suffolk

Where a toddler is eligible for income related free school meals, families shall be contacted directly by their child’s school regarding supermarket voucher grants, available to them throughout the school holidays from April 2023 until March 2024. Further information is accessible here.

Surrey

The county of Surrey has been given £10.6m of funding from the HSF. The council decided that £5.232m of the fund can be used to enable the continued provision of food vouchers to eligible children over the college holidays. Read more here.

Sussex

Those in West Sussex can apply for the HSF here.

Residents in East Sussex must contact their local council for support.

Click here to seek out out more. For those who are situated in Mid-Sussex, click here for information on getting the financial support you wish.

Tyne & Wear

Those under the jurisdiction of South Tyneside Council could also be eligible to  a single payment of £150 per household. Click here to seek out out more. 

North Tyneside has been awarded £3,219,996 to assist our most financially vulnerable households within the borough over the approaching 12 months. Those entitled to income related Free School Meals will receive £15 supermarket vouchers for every week of the college holidays per child. Click here to seek out out more.

Newcastle City Council will even provide food vouchers for those entitled to free school meals. Read more.

Warwickshire

Attributable to the limited amount of funds Warwickshire Council has available, they are going to prioritise items needed for each day living comparable to food, energy and water and particularly those that is probably not eligible for other support the federal government has recently made available. Discover more here.

West Midlands

Applications for Birmingham City Council Hardship Grant Community Fund open on Monday 31 July 2023. The Council will distribute grants of as much as £200 to Birmingham households facing financial hardship. The funds are intended to assist with food and energy costs. Click here to use.

Wiltshire

Wiltshire Council has been allocated £5.4 million in round 4 of the HSF. The funding shall be distributed through partner organisation and council departments. Families and young children can receive food vouchers and parcels. Click here to use.

Worcestershire

Worcestershire City Council is supporting individuals who receive free school meals in the vacations. You will want to contact your school directly regarding the issuing of Free School Meal vouchers during school holidays. Find more information here.

Yorkshire

Those within the City of York shall be invited to use for the HSF. For those who think you might be eligible but haven’t been contacted, click here.

In North Yorks, you’ll be able to receive food e-Vouchers to make use of in-store and online with supermarkets. More information shall be released in the approaching months here.

For those who are in East Riding, your school must have already given you a supermarket voucher for the vacations. Get more info here.

Wales

The Welsh government recently axed support for those receiving free school meals. Nonetheless, three district councils – Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent and Powys councils have found the money from their very own budgets for the college break.

It’s also price contacting your local council, as they could have an allocated budget for this.

Scotland

For those who get free school meals you could also have the ability to get help throughout the school holidays. To qualify it is advisable to get certainly one of the advantages within the eligibility section. You want to contact your local council to seek out out apply. This doesn’t apply in case your child gets free school meals because of only being in primary 1 to five. You want to also get the advantages within the eligibility section. Contact your local council for more information.

Northern Ireland