Continuing government support fund welcomed – but Hertfordshire councillors uncertain over holiday voucher scheme

The Chancellor’s decision to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) for a further six months has been welcomed by Hertfordshire County Council.

But it is still unclear whether school holiday supermarket vouchers for struggling families in Hertfordshire will continue.

Hertfordshire families, with children eligible for benefits-related free school meals, have been able to claim the vouchers since 2020, thanks to the HSF.

And last month – with no guarantee the fund would continue past March 31 – the county council warned the scheme may have to stop.

However, last week the Chancellor announced – as part of the Budget – the HSF would be extended for a further six months.

The move has been welcomed by the council, but officials have not confirmed the continuation of the voucher scheme.

Executive member for adult care, health and wellbeing Cllr Tony Kingsbury said: “We welcome today’s announcement by the Chancellor to extend the Household Support Fund for an additional six months.

“It will allow us to carry on working closely with partners across the county to target additional support where it is most needed.

“We have been using the HSF in Hertfordshire to provide school holiday supermarket vouchers for families eligible for free school meals, helping people with food and energy costs, as well as funding for food banks and food aid providers across the county.

“We remain acutely aware of the financial challenges residents are facing and will continue to lobby government on their behalf.”

Commenting directly on whether the council’s supermarket voucher scheme will now continue, a spokesperson for the county council said: “We can’t confirm exactly what we’ll use the extended HSF funding for at this point.

“We only found out about this extended funding yesterday, and we need to ensure we go through a transparent allocation process as we have done with previous tranches.

“We also don’t know what the conditions are for this funding, so we can’t take any decisions on how to use it until the DWP publish those details.”

Those seeking information about the support can call HertsHelp on 0300 123 4044, email [email protected] or visit www.hertshelp.net.