Household Support Fund

The council has been allocated £3.9m for April 2023 to March 2024 from the Department of Work and Pensions Household Support Fund. This is to help the most vulnerable residents during the cost of living crisis.

Most of the help will be received directly so there is no need to apply, although some of the Household Support Fund is being used to run a Hardship Fund which can be applied for. Information on this will be available shortly, so please check this page again soon.

We have decided to spend our allocation on the following six areas.

Help during the holidays for families receiving free school meals

Families eligible for free school meals will receive supermarket vouchers at the rate of £3.50 per day per child. Around 5,000 families will receive help and the vouchers will be received just before each of the school holidays including Easter 2024.

Help for vulnerable families and young people

Around 880 young people working with our Children’s Services Teams will receive £50 in supermarket vouchers. Most of these vouchers will be sent before the summer holidays.

Around 1,680 families working with our Children’s Services Teams will receive £100 in supermarket vouches. Most of these vouchers will be sent before the summer holidays.

Help for people receiving Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support only and not eligible for the government’s Cost of Living Payment

People on certain benefits will receive £900 from the government to help them through the cost of living crisis.

People only receiving Housing Benefit or Council Tax Support (and not one of the qualifying benefits) aren’t eligible for this help and will receive help from the Household Support Fund. Supermarket vouchers or cards ranging from £150 to £320 (depending on circumstances) will be sent to around 2,390 people in these circumstances and most households will receive two payments.

The first payment will be made before the summer holidays and the second before the winter. Certain people with disabilities will receive a third payment in early 2024.

Local Hardship Fund

We know the cost of living crisis is affecting residents across Westminster. The Westminster Council Local Hardship Fund aims to help residents who are not eligible for other help.  

The fund is currently open for applications from Westminster residents who do not receive any means-tested benefits and have a low income of up to £30,000, or £50,000 if there are children in the household.  

Find out if you are eligible for the Westminster Council Local Hardship Fund.

Cost of Living Support Fund

Struggling households working with one of the advice organisations below to resolve their financial difficulties, and with a household income of £21.5k or below, could be recommended for a supermarket voucher in some cases. Vouchers are between £150 and £320 depending on circumstances:

• Age UK Westminster
• Al-Hasaniya Moroccan Women's Centre
• Asylum Aid
• Cardinal Hume Centre
• Carers Network
• Citizens Advice Westminster
• DeafPlus
• Family Lives Westminster
• Hestia Westminster
• Marylebone Bangladesh Society
• Open Age
• Paddington Law Centre
• Passage Resource Centre
• Shelter
• Single Homeless Project (SHP)
• South Westminster Legal Advice Centre
• St Mungo's
• The Chinese Information and Advice Centre
• University of Westminster Legal Advice Centre
• Westminster Employment Service (WES) HELP Project
• Zacchaeus 2000 (Z2K)

Grants to food charities

Some of the main food charities in Westminster will receive grants from the Household Support Fund. Find more information about the food support available in Westminster.

More information

Our cost of living support hub has information about all the other support and help available and there is also information on the government’s cost of living hub.

More information about how we are spending the Household Support Fund.