Household Support Fund

Money to help if you're struggling with food, bills or energy costs

A new round of the Household Support Fund opened for Wokingham Borough on 25 April. It runs to 30 September. You can apply if you’re struggling to pay for:

Food
Bills
Energy costs
Other everyday essentials

The Household Support Fund has been allocated by the Department for Work and Pensions to councils in England.

Wokingham Borough has received more than £500,000 to help people locally before the end of September.

Apply now

Families with children who receive means-tested free school meals should apply for Holiday Food Vouchers. Full details further down this page.

Everyone else should apply for a Household Support Grant. Amounts are lower than the previous winter round, as energy costs are lower during the warmer months.

Household Support Grant

The Household Support Grant provides support to anyone who is not part of a family where children receive means-tested free school meals.

Higher amounts are being paid to households which are likely to spend more money on daily essentials like food and energy.

Pensioners, carers, disabled people and/or households with four or more people

You can get a grant of £140

All other households

You can get a grant of £70

How to apply for a Household Support Grant

Support is available to households who feel they are struggling with rising costs of living as well as people in receipt of benefits.

If you're under age 50:

Call Citizens Advice Wokingham on 0808 278 7958
Apply on Citizens Advice Wokingham website

If you're aged 50 or older:

Call Age UK Berkshire on (0118) 959 4242
Email Age UK Berkshire

Holiday Food Vouchers - if you have a child who receives means-tested free school meals

If you have successfully applied for Holiday Food Vouchers since April 2023, you do not need to reapply
If you’re eligible but have not applied before, apply for Holiday Food Vouchers on the First Days Children’s Charity website
You can get £20 per week, per child, during school holiday
First Days will look at your application

The amount you get in total depends on the number of children in your family who receive means-tested free school meals.

Once you’ve successfully applied, payments will be made for the May half term and six week summer holidays.

Apply for Holiday Food Voucher

Funded by Government

£421 million of additional funding has been made available to help the most vulnerable across England in the first half of 2024/25. In Wokingham Borough we have been given £525,000.

The funding is an extension of the Household Support Fund and has been allocated by the Department for Work and Pensions to Councils in England, who use it to support those in need in their local area.

Visit the Government's cost of living help pages for more information.