Financial support for your family, until March 2025
The government’s Household Support Fund has been extended for a further 6 months, after originally being due to end in October 2024. The funding we've received, totalling £1,483,073.82, will help support families until the end of March 2025.
We will be providing funding for eligible households in several ways, including supermarket vouchers for households and the provision of grants to third parties (except for debt advice provision).
Who is eligible to receive support?
Support is available for:
- residents in Central Bedfordshire
- any household that meets one or more of the following criteria:
- eligible and claiming for free school meals (including 2-year-old funding for disadvantaged families or Early Years Pupil Premium)
- a care leaver (young adults aged between 18 and 25 years old who have previously spent time in care before they were 18 years old)
How to get support
We will contact anyone who is eligible for direct support in due course. If your household is eligible, please find the criteria below to find out how you can access support.
Child or young person eligible for free school meals (FSM)
Each child eligible and claiming for free school meals and attending a Central Bedfordshire School will be entitled to one supermarket voucher for each of the following periods:
- October half term holidays (half term) 2024 – £17.50 total to support with the cost of food for 1 weeks
- Christmas Holidays 2024 – £35 total to support with the cost of food for 2 week
- February half term holidays 2025 – £17.50 total to support with the cost of food for 1 weeks
Eligible parents/carers – you will receive a text or email inviting you to choose a supermarket for the voucher. Please check with your school/educational setting to see if your child is already eligible for free school meals.
If you have a question about your voucher, please email covid19.freeschoolmeals@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk. Please include the name of your child(ren) and the school they attend – we can't locate vouchers without this information.
Parents/carers will either receive a text message from ‘SchoolMeals’ or an email from vouchers@wonde.com containing their e-voucher instructions.
This only includes pupils on a school roll or in early years settings and are eligible up to the end of each school holiday.
Free School Meals for children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) accessing an independent day school
For parents residing in Central Bedfordshire, who have a child or children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP) accessing an independent day school (including those outside of the county), the Household Support Fund scheme is open for you to apply.
If you are in receipt of one of the qualifying benefits for free school meals (as detailed below), and would like to receive a supermarket voucher for the school holidays, please email covid19.freeschoolmeals@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk using the subject header ‘FSM Independent’.
In your email, please confirm:
- you receive one of the qualifying benefits (see below)
- you are a resident in Central Bedfordshire and you have a child or children with an EHCP accessing an independent day school (please provide school name)
- your name
- the name of your child or children
- a valid email address so you can receive the voucher
The voucher scheme for each holiday period will close on the last day of each holiday period and we will not be able to backdate any vouchers. We are aware of other Local Authorities providing similar schemes and we will not provide a voucher where another authority is funding a voucher.
Qualifying benefits to receive free school meals are as follows:
- Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400 as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Support under Part IV of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
- The Guarantee element of State Pension Credit
- Child Tax Credit (provided you are not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and you have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
- Working Tax Credit run-on (paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit)
Please note: Eligible parents who have children with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) who are attending maintained schools, academies, and free schools will automatically receive a holiday voucher.
Children eligible for 2-year-old funding for disadvantaged families / Early Years Pupil Premium
Each eligible child will be entitled to one supermarket voucher for each of the following holiday periods:
- October half term holidays (half term) 2024 – £17.50 total to support with the cost of food for 1 weeks
- Christmas Holidays 2024 – £35 total to support with the cost of food for 2 week
- February half term holidays 2025 – £17.50 total to support with the cost of food for 1 weeks
Eligible parents/carers – you will receive a text or email inviting you to choose a supermarket for the voucher. Please check with your early years setting/school to see if your child is already eligible for the 2-year-old funded childcare (for disadvantaged families) or Early Years Pupil Premium.
If you have a question about your voucher, please email covid19.freeschoolmeals@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk. Please include the name of your child(ren) and the early years setting/school they attend. We cannot locate vouchers without this information.
This only includes pupils on a school roll or in early years settings and are eligible up to the end of each school holiday.
Child or young person attending Shuttleworth College eligible for free school meals (FSM)
Each eligible child will be entitled to one supermarket voucher for each of the following holiday periods:
- October half term holidays (half term) 2024 – £17.50 total to support with the cost of food for 1 weeks
- Christmas Holidays 2024 – £35 total to support with the cost of food for 2 week
- February half term holidays 2025 – £17.50 total to support with the cost of food for 1 weeks
Eligible children and families will be contacted by Shuttleworth College.
Care leavers
A care leaver is a young adult aged between 18 and 25 years old who has previously spent time in care before they were 18 years old. Each eligible care leaver will be entitled to one supermarket voucher for the following holiday periods:
- October half term holidays (half term) 2024 – £17.50 total to support with the cost of food for 1 weeks
- Christmas Holidays 2024 – £35 total to support with the cost of food for 2 week
- February half term holidays 2025 – £17.50 total to support with the cost of food for 1 weeks
Eligible care leavers will receive an email inviting them to choose a supermarket for the voucher. If you have any questions, please contact your personal adviser.
Support for low-income pension households
Funding from the Household Support Fund will be used to make an award of £200 to around 2,200 pensioners we have identified. These households have had their Winter Fuel Payment – a one-off payment given to most people of pension age, providing them with financial assistance during the colder months – withdrawn due to the Government’s recent policy change. Pensioner households who qualify for the one-off payment will be contacted directly.
Funding for voluntary and community sector organisations
We will also be providing funding from the Household Support Fund to a number of voluntary and community sector organisations to enable them to distribute food and offer vouchers or support to offset utility costs and provide wider essential support to eligible households.
Further information about the organisations that have received funding will be available soon.