Following previous allocations of Household Support Fund funding, a further grant was made available for use in Derbyshire up to 31 March 2026.
The money is provided to us by the Department for Work and Pensions.
The fund will be distributed in a variety of ways over the coming months.
Support from the Household Support Fund
Cost of living payments for low-income pensioners and people receiving home care
Eligible households will receive a letter in November 2025 with a one-off £110 Post Office voucher to help with cost of living pressures.
The vouchers will be available for:
- pensioners (aged over 66) who are entitled to means-tested council tax support with their council tax bill
- adults who are receiving home care support from us and are on a low income - home care support is care that people receive in their own homes or in their local community to help them to stay safe and independent
Letters will be sent out throughout November and early December. If you think you're eligible and have not received a letter, or have a question about your voucher, please contact the Household Support Fund team telephone: 01629 535070.
Grocery vouchers for families with children and care leavers
Eligible households should now have received a grocery voucher worth £34 per child/young person, these were sent between 23 to 27 January 2026.
The vouchers were sent to parents/carers of children and young people who met the following criteria between 7 May 2025 and 12 November 2025:
Vouchers were sent predominantly by email, with a smaller number sent by text message where parents or carers do not use email.
If you have not received your voucher and you believe you are eligible, firstly please check your junk or spam email folder. If you still can’t see your voucher, your child’s school office may be able to help you quickly access your voucher code as all schools have all been sent copies of each of their eligible pupils’ unique voucher code.
If your child is in an early-years setting or your school can’t help, please fill in:
Food vouchers for children
Please note it may take up to 2 working weeks for the HSF team to respond due to the volume of enquiries we receive.
If you plan to approach your school for help, please do not fill in the form until after you’ve spoken to the school to prevent duplication of work as this increases our response times.
Local district and borough councils
District and borough councils have been allocated funds to help with council tax and rent arrears, homelessness and temporary housing where other existing schemes do not apply or are not available.
Please contact your local district or borough council about any support available.
Other support
Funds have also been awarded to local voluntary sector organisations who will work in the community to identify and provide grants to hard-to-reach or isolated pensioners, or unpaid carer households who are facing hardship.
You can find more information about support available locally on the cost of living. The GOV.UK website has also got information about the help that is available to households and cost of living support.
Derbyshire Discretionary Fund grants
We are using money from the Household Support Fund to give more help through the Derbyshire Discretionary Fund.
Households facing financial hardship can apply directly to the Derbyshire Discretionary Fund for help towards their food, and energy costs. Households can access up to 2 awards in a 12-month period.
Payments are £65 per household plus an extra £15 will be provided for each partner or spouse, and each dependent child.