Household Support Fund

The government's Household Support Fund was introduced in September 2021. Three rounds of funding have been distributed by councils in England to directly support vulnerable households with meeting daily needs, such as food, clothing and utilities.

  • Visit our Cost of Living page for more information about support and advice available to help with the cost of living.

Household Support Fund – fourth round

We have been allocated £512k from Surrey County Council to be used by 31 March 2024. We will be distributing this grant in a range of different ways to reach our most vulnerable households.

£100 supermarket and fuel vouchers

Supermarket and fuel vouchers to pay for essential food and utilities will be offered through our referral partners to residents who are struggling financially and facing hardship.

To be eligible to be considered for a voucher, applicants must provide a valid address within the borough at which they are registered. Vouchers will be available until March 2024 or until funds run out, whichever is earliest.

If you are suffering from financial hardship you should contact one of the following partners:

  • Contact Citizens Advice Reigate & Banstead on freephone 0800 0129 126 between 10am and 1pm Monday to Friday or leave a message requesting a call back. Alternatively, go to www.carbs.org.uk to complete an online enquiry form.
  • Raven Housing residents should contact Raven on 0300 123 3399 or email raven@ravenht.org.uk
  • Anyone already in contact with the Council’s Money Support team, Community Debt Advice or the SES water vulnerable customer team, please talk to your normal contact at those organisations.

Other support

  • Funding has been provided to The Mayor’s Trust Fund, a hardship fund that can support one off costs that are putting extra financial pressure on a resident.
  • Local voluntary and community organisations and food clubs have been grant funded to provide food, fuel and energy efficiency support to residents in need. Contact communitypartnerships@reigate-banstead.gov.uk with any questions about grants.
  • Our Housing team will be supporting households they are already working with to cover housing costs where no other funds/support are available.

Household Support Fund – previous rounds

During the third round, which ended on 31 March 2023, we supported 2,745 financially vulnerable households with:

  • supermarket vouchers distributed through Raven Housing Trust and Citizens Advice Reigate & Banstead
  • top-up payments provided through a number of local organisations
  • grants to several local charities to help them to provide extra support locally

During the second round, which  ended on 30 September 2022, we supported 2,451 financially vulnerable households with:

  • one-off £110 payments to households with someone over 65 years old currently claiming Council Tax Reduction
  • funding to food clubs and other local voluntary sector partners to provide support locally

During the first round ending 31 March 2022, we supported 4,294 financially vulnerable households with:

  • supermarket vouchers to households with children receiving Council Tax Reduction and to households referred to the scheme by other Council departments or our partners (Raven Housing and Citizen Advice Reigate & Banstead)
  • grants to local voluntary and community organisations and food clubs to deliver targeted help, such as hot meals and essential items to people struggling financially
  • Support to cover housing costs through our housing team where no other funding or support was available