Supermarket vouchers ending soon as families urged to claim £300 before March 31
Families across Britain have just weeks left to apply for supermarket vouchers worth up to £300 before the Government’s Household Support Fund closes at the end of March.
The scheme, backed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), has provided financial assistance to low-income households across the UK during the cost-of-living crisis.
Local councils have distributed the funding in several ways including direct payments, supermarket vouchers and support with energy bills.
Households do not necessarily need to be receiving benefits to qualify because eligibility is determined by local authorities rather than central Government.
Eligible families can currently access vouchers ranging between £200 and £300 which can be spent at major retailers including Aldi, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s.
The support must be claimed before March 31 when the programme is scheduled to end.
One local authority currently distributing the vouchers is Surrey County Council, which is offering payments through its Everyday Essentials e voucher scheme.
Single person households in the county can receive £200 while families with children are eligible for vouchers worth £300.
Government support available for a limited time
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The council received £9.3million for the seventh and final round of funding, which represents a 12 per cent reduction compared with earlier allocations.
Surrey County Council said the funding had been allocated by the Department for Work and Pensions to support residents experiencing financial hardship.
The local authority said the money is intended to help households struggling with the cost of essential items, including food, fuel and water.
Local organisations distribute the funding by identifying families facing financial difficulties and providing support where it is needed.
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In addition to the voucher scheme, the funding has also been used to support initiatives such as free school meals across the county.
The vouchers can be spent in a number of major supermarkets, although each retailer has specific rules governing how they can be used.
At Aldi, vouchers can only be used in store and cannot be spent on gift cards, lottery products, alcohol or online purchases.
Asda accepts the vouchers both online and in store but excludes their use at petrol stations or for tobacco products, stamps, lottery tickets and mobile phone top ups.
Some retailers impose fewer restrictions on how the vouchers can be used.
Waitrose and Farmfoods do not currently place specific restrictions on the use of the vouchers.
At Iceland and The Food Warehouse, the vouchers are accepted in store but cannot be used to purchase alcohol.
Morrisons accepts the vouchers in its main supermarkets but excludes their use in Morrisons Daily convenience stores and petrol stations.
Vouchers at Tesco are valid only in store and cannot be used at petrol forecourts.
Households have weeks left to apply for support as the Government scheme closes at the end of March
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PASainsbury’s applies additional restrictions including excluding purchases at petrol stations, pharmacies, infant formula products and concession coffee shops.
Once the Household Support Fund closes at the end of March, it will be replaced by a new programme known as the Crisis and Resilience Fund.
Details about how the replacement scheme will operate have not yet been fully confirmed.
Eligibility rules and application processes for the current support programme vary between councils across England and Wales.
Households are therefore advised to check with their local authority to confirm whether they qualify for support and what payments may be available in their area before the scheme closes.
