Household Support Fund

The Household Support Fund is a government fund (provided by the Department for Work and Pensions) designed to support vulnerable households across the country.

The fund launched in October 2021 with an initial £500 million of funding nationally. The latest refresh of the fund is the fourth allocation that has been made available to Local Authorities from the Department of Work and Pensions.

In Buckinghamshire, we're responsible for distributing our share of funding in line with government guidance. This includes supporting low-income households and those experiencing financial hardship with:

  • energy costs
  • food costs
  • other household essentials

How we're using the funding

From 1 April to 30 September 2022

In March 2022, the government extended the Household Support Fund to 30 September 2022 with an additional £500 million of funding.

We spent our £2.4 million funding on:

Type of support Total spending
Holiday food vouchers £834,184
Partners/community projects £110,665
Heart of Bucks Crisis Fund £222,800
Helping Hand (direct support) £261,540
Support for pensioners £800,000
Other £170,000

For more details about how we've used this money to support people in Buckinghamshire, view our Household Support Fund Report.

From 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023

The government extended the Household Support Fund from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023 with an additional £500 million of funding.

We spent our £2.4 million funding on:

Type of support Total spending
Holiday food vouchers £820,000
Partners/community projects £300,000
Heart of Bucks Crisis Fund £250,000
Helping Hand (direct support) £500,000
Support for targeted cohorts including pensioners and care leavers £360,000
Other £170,000

From 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024

In November 2022, the government announced:

  • an additional £1 billion of funding
  • a 12-month extension of the Household Support Fund from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024

We spent our £4.8 million funding on:

Type of support Total spending
Holiday food vouchers £2,276,000
Partners/community projects £500,019
Grants (support with utilities and
other arrears)
£461,046
Helping Hand (direct support) £614,273
Support for targeted cohorts £580,046
Other £340,000

From 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024

In March 2024, the government announced:

  • an additional £500 million of funding
  • a 6-month extension of the Household Support Fund from 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024

We plan to spend our £2.4 million on:

Type of support Total spending
Holiday food vouchers £955,500
Partners/community
projects
£200,000
Grants (support with
utilities and
other arrears)
£250,000
Helping Hand (direct
support)
£230,000
Support for targeted
cohorts
£595,747
Other £167,943

Final spending figures for this period will be available after 30 September 2024.

Applying for support

If you or your family are on a low income and experiencing financial hardship, contact our Helping Hand Team to apply for support.

For other forms of support including:

  • help with heating, bills and home essentials
  • help buying or accessing food
  • advice on benefits, debt and money
  • help finding a warm space

see Help with the cost of living (Helping Hand).

For an overview of UK Government support, visit the Cost of Living Hub (GOV.UK).