This year’s support package for Essex (through the Household Support Fund), which will provide over £16m of support to households in need over the next year.

ECC has now allocated the £16,631,626 received from the Department for Work and Pensions’ Household Support Fund – this will support residents from young to old with over £6 million allocated to help feed thousands of children eligible for free school meals, and £1 million for pensioners, which will be incredibly valuable over the winter as a result of changes to the government’s winter support allowance. The funding runs until March 2026. It aims to ease financial pressure for families, pensioners, and vulnerable residents across the county by supporting with food, household bills and essential items.

The allocations include:

• £8,900,926 to the Essential Living Fund for those in need of support with household bills, food and essential items. (including £1m targeted at pensioners.)
• £5,605,200 for supermarket food vouchers to support families with children eligible for free school meals.
• £500,000 for foodbanks, food support groups, and food pantries to stock groceries for residents in need.
• £200,000 for organisations supporting groups such as unpaid carers with the cost of energy, food, essentials items.
• £140,000 for the 14 Community Supermarkets in Essex that provide affordable food to local residents.
• £100,000 for Essex Citizens Advice to provide direct financial support and advisory services to struggling households.
• £75,000 for supermarket vouchers for food and essential items to support Young Carer households in need.
• £67,500 in supermarket vouchers for care leavers.
• £63,000 to provide food for children and young people attending the holiday activities and food programme.
• £50,000 to Essex Citizens Advice to fund training for frontline workers to support people affected by benefit cuts.
• £10,000 for Essex Libraries “Winter Warm Welcome” over October 2025- March 2026.