Household Support Fund

The Household Support Fund is funding provided by government to local authorities to directly help those who need it the most. The fund has recently been further extended to March 2026 (Tranche 7).

The first six tranches of the Household Support Fund (HSF1, HSF2, HSF3, HSF4, HSF5 and HSF6) have been spent to 31 March 2025. The table below covers the period 1 October 2024 to 31 March 2025 (HSF6).

Household Support Fund Tranche 6 (HSF6)	Amount
Food vouchers for those in receipt of free school meals to cover the school holidays	£546,000
Support for looked after children, CIN, care leavers and supporting families with food and fuel payments	£50,000
Voluntary Sector Scheme: providing a hardship grant fund for local residents (includes admin costs)	£160,000
Winter Fuel Payments	£80,000
Total	£836,000

Between October 2024 and March 2025 over 26,000 Supermarket vouchers were provided to over 4,000 children in receipt of free school meals over the 6 weeks school holidays from October 2024 (this covers Easter 2025). Additional support to children in need and children looked after has included the provision of crisis grants, clothing and baby boxes.

Support was provided to children with disabilities, children looked after and care leavers with the increased costs of living. This has included support to 328 children in need across 292 families offering crisis support, clothing, furniture, food and fuel vouchers

We operated a voluntary sector scheme to support low income households through advice and the award of cash grants, vouchers and household purchases. Richmond AID (RAID) and Citizens Advice Richmond (CAR) have continued to administer these crisis funds on our behalf.

To provide additional support over the winter months, we provided a one-off payment of £100 to over 900 low income pensioner households who were not in receipt of Pension Credit, and therefore not entitled to the government’s Winter Fuel Payment, but were in receipt of means tested Council Tax Reduction (CTR).

Although they hadn’t been assessed as meeting the criteria for Pension Credit, eligibility for CTR means they were low-income households and were therefore considered to be impacted most by the change.

Household Support Fund Tranche 7 (HSF7)

In the October 2024 budget statement, the government announced that the Household Support Fund would be extended for 2025/26. Allocations were announced in March 2025 and as expected, funding for HSF7 has been reduced. For Richmond this is £1,474,054 covering April 2025 to March 2026.

At the Finance, Policy and Resources Committee in January 2025, indicative spending proposals were approved subject to the announcement of the final allocations. It was agreed that HSF would continue to fund the core initiatives and that these would be reviewed once allocations and guidance on HSF7 were issued. Currently, formal agreement includes the funding of the following:

Supermarket vouchers for children on free school meals

There will be a continuation of food vouchers in the holidays for those children on free school meals.

If you are eligible for free school meals but not currently claiming, or are unsure about your eligibility, you should apply for free school meals.

Children with disabilities, children looked after and care leavers

Continued support to children with disabilities, children looked after and care leavers will include payments to support with the increased costs of living.

Voluntary Sector Scheme

Richmond AID and Citizens Advice Richmond (CAR) have received Household Support Funding to distribute to low-income households who are struggling and need help and support accessing food, energy bills or other household essentials. This includes working households on a low income.

What the grant can be used for

You can apply for a grant for food, energy costs, clothing and essential equipment. If your grant application is successful, you can receive a grant award via a BACS payment into your account or get supermarket vouchers.

How much you will receive

The grant amount varies according to household size:

• Up to £300 for households with 1 or more adults
• Up to £500 for households with 1 child
• Up to £600 for households and 2 children or more

Eligibility for the grant

To be eligible for the grant you must be over 18 and live in the borough of Richmond and be struggling from the impact of rising costs of food and energy or continue to be impacted by COVID-19, for example:

• Reduced pay or lost job
• Benefits issues
• Struggling to afford food, energy costs and other essentials, including white goods
• Extra costs as a result of COVID-19

Individuals with no recourse to public funds are also eligible, particularly if:

• There are community care needs
• They have serious health problems
• There is a risk to a child’s wellbeing

How to apply

For more information on the grant or to apply, contact Citizens Advice Richmond by freephone on 080 82 78 78 73. Lines are open 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.

You can also apply for the grant by completing an online form.

For people with long term health conditions, disabilities and carers, contact Richmond AID:

• Email: advice@richmondaid.org.uk 
• Telephone: 020 8831 6070 or 020 3393 7011

Further support and advice

If you require any further support or advice on the cost of living, visit our Cost of Living Hub.

The government's cost of living support web pages also provide guidance.