Latest news with #RibbleValleyBoroughCouncil
The Sun
6 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
12 Universal Credit freebies and discounts you can claim this summer worth up to £4,300
PEOPLE on Universal Credit can get up to £4,300 worth of freebies and discounts this summer. Universal Credit is a monthly payment aimed at helping out unemployed and low-paid people. 1 Claimants can get upwards of £316.98 a month from the Government - but they might not know they're entitled to more help. From food vouchers to help with bills and even cheap days out, there is plenty of extra support available. Here's the full list of what you could be claiming this month. Household Support Fund – worth up to £500 The Household Support Fund has been extended until March 2026 – and it's dishing out direct payments of up to £500. The Government scheme is sharing out a pot of £742million between councils in England to help them support struggling households. Each council is setting its own rules on how it distributes the money, but many are offering vouchers or cash payments to help residents with food and energy bills. Ribble Valley Borough Council is giving out food vouchers worth between £200 to £500 to households with a combined income of less than £35,000 a year. Hartlepool Borough Council is awarding £100 food vouchers to families who have a child aged between two and 19 who is eligible for free school meals. Meanwhile City of Doncaster Council is giving a one-off payment of between £100 to £300 to families on Universal Credit. If you're outside of these areas, you should check your local council's website to see what's on offer and how to apply. Three key benefits you could be missing out on Cheap days out – save £108 You can get huge savings on days out across the UK if you're on Universal Credit. These are some examples of what you can get, but there's plenty on offer... ZSL London Zoo: Entry for £3. Adult tickets are usually priced from £27 so you can make a £24 saving Eden Project: £5 for adults or £1 for kids. Adult tickets are usually £38 and child tickets are £12, saving you £44 in total if you buy one of each Tower of London: £1 tickets for up to six people per household. It's usually £35.80 for an adult ticket, so this would save you £34.80 York Castle Museum: Free entry. It's usually £17 for an adult ticket As a single adult, you could save £108.80 in total by going to all of these attractions. But of course you'll save even more if you're taking other family members too. Healthy Start food help – worth £442 a year New parents or expectant mums can get up to £442 a year for essentials like fruit, veg and baby formula. It's part of the Healthy Start scheme, which gives you a prepaid card loaded with funds every four weeks. You can apply for it online if you're on benefits including Universal Credit or Child Tax Credit. Help to Save – get £1,200 bonus cash People on Universal Credit or Working Tax Credit have access to the Government's Help to Save scheme. This gives you a 50% top-up when you put away savings. It's available on savings of up to £50 a month, meaning you can get a maximum of £2,400 over four years. The top-up is paid as a bonus at the end of the second and fourth years. Water bill help – worth £173 You could slash your water bill by hundreds through social tariffs or the WaterSure scheme. Every water supplier has social tariffs aimed at reducing costs for low-income families or people who use lots of water due to disability or large households. The eligibility criteria and level of support depends on your supplier. For example, Affinity Water offers a low-income fixed tariff (LIFT) for customers with a household income of less than £19,995 a year. The tariff is fixed at £143.80, but if you also receive a council tax reduction then your bill will be even lower at £95.80. Affinity Water said the average household bill for 2023/24 was up to £269, which would save you £173. It's not clear what the average household bill is for this year but it's likely to have gone up. You should contact your supplier directly to see what help is available. Some firms even offer free water-saving devices like shower timers and cistern bags to bring your usage down. Free prescriptions and healthcare – up to £119 If you're on Universal Credit, you might be eligible for free NHS prescriptions, saving you £9.90 a pop – or nearly £120 a year if you get your prescription monthly. You could also get: Free dental checks Free eye tests Travel reimbursement for medical appointments Free wigs or glasses Use the NHS online checker to see what you can get. Discounted broadband and mobile contracts – worth £290 You can also get social tariffs for your broadband and mobile contract if you're on Universal Credit. The cheapest deals start at £12.50 a month for broadband. Virgin Media Essential offers £12.50 a month for 15Mbps, with no set-up cost and a rolling 30-day contract. Its standard broadband deals start at £23.99 a month for a 24-month contract, so the social tariff would save you £137.88 a year. For mobile contracts, you can get social tariffs from the likes of EE, Smarty and Voxi. Voxi For Now costs just £10 a month and gives you unlimited data for six months, plus unlimited social media, calls and texts. Its usual unlimited data contract costs £35 a month, so the social tariff would save you £150 over the six months. In total both the mobile and broadband social tariffs would save you almost £290. Council tax support – up to £4,300 Those struggling with council tax could get a major discount – or even have their bill wiped completely. Council Tax Support varies by area, but if you're on a low income or receiving Universal Credit you could save thousands. For example, the Royal Borough of Greenwich offers up to 100% council tax discounts for eligible pensioner households. Council tax is as high as £4,323.52 in Greenwich. Head to to check your eligibility. Energy bill help – up to £2,000 Energy firms like British Gas are offering hardship grants worth up to £2,000. British Gas has a Gas Energy Support Fund that pays up to £2,000, but applications have closed for now. Other suppliers like EDF, Octopus, Ovo, Next and Utilita have no set limit on payments. If you don't qualify through your supplier, charities like Turn2Us have searchable databases to help you find other grants. The Household Support Fund also covers energy costs, so you can reach out to your council now. Pregnancy grant – worth £500 Mums expecting their first child could claim a one-off £500 Sure Start Maternity Grant. It's available to those on Universal Credit or other qualifying benefits. You must apply within 11 weeks of the due date or six months after the baby is born. Print off the SF100 form online and get it signed by a midwife before posting. Support with travel and job applications – worth £150 Claimants can get 50% off travel across the UK by applying for a Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount card. It's aimed at helping you get to job interviews if you're actively job hunting. The card is free and lasts for three months. There's also the Flexible Support Fund, which can cover costs like: Travel to interviews Job training (up to £150) Uniforms, work tools, and childcare Apply at your local JobCentre. Cheap gym memberships – worth £336 Some leisure centres offer Universal Credit claimants gym memberships from as little as £5 a month. For example, a Better Health national membership would cost you £70 usually. But if you get a concessionary membership it's £42 a month. That would save you £336 over the course of a year. Alternatively if you get a Better Flex Adult Concessionary membership for you get one activity booking for £5 a month. Everyone Active also offers discounted rates. Access is often off-peak and varies by location, so check with your nearest centre.
Scottish Sun
25-06-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
Thousands of families can get free meal vouchers worth £500 over summer holidays – check if you need to apply
We reveal whether you might be eligible for help below MEAL TIME Thousands of families can get free meal vouchers worth £500 over summer holidays – check if you need to apply Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THOUSANDS of families can get free meal and food vouchers worth £500 over the school holidays. The help comes via the £742million Household Support Fund (HSF) which has been shared between councils in England. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Thousands of families are eligible for free food or meal vouchers Credit: Alamy Local authorities are currently in the process of deciding who to distribute help to and what form it will take. Support is usually offered to those on a low income, benefits or classed as vulnerable. Some councils are paying money directly into eligible households' bank accounts, while others are issuing energy vouchers. But some are giving hard-up families free meal or food vouchers over the summer holidays. Here are all the councils distributing help. Bristol City Council Bristol City Council has confirmed it will give vouchers to free school meal and Pupil Premium children during all school holidays until at least March 2026. The local authority says vouchers will be sent from the school by email. Anyone who doesn't receive them should contact their school directly to find out when they will be sent. The council has not revealed how much the vouchers are worth. However, £30 vouchers were issued over the two-week Christmas break so are likely to be worth more over the summer holidays. Three key benefits that YOU could be missing out on, and one even gives you a free TV Licence You can find out more information via Ribble Valley Borough Council Ribble Valley Borough Council has opened its latest round of HSF and is offering households payments worth hundreds of pounds. Households with a combined income of less than £35,000 per year can apply for food vouchers ranging from £200 to £500. Vouchers are being distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis with only one application allowed per household. Priority is being given to new applicants, with households who received a voucher through the HSF round that ran between April and September 2024 only able to apply through this round from October. You can find out more via Hartlepool Borough Council Hartlepool Borough Council is awarding £100 food vouchers to hard-up households. The vouchers are being distributed to families where a child is aged between two and 19 and eligible for free school meals. You can find out more about the latest round of HSF on the council's website Tameside Council Tameside Council is spending around 60% of its HSF allocation on school holiday meal vouchers worth £15 a week. Pupils in post-16 education at Tameside College or Ashton Sixth Form won't be eligible for vouchers. Further details are yet to be revealed by the council, so keep an eye on its website. Visit for further information. Bracknell Forest Council Bracknell Forest Council is taking applications for cost of living vouchers for families with children on free school meals. Supermarket vouchers are being issued automatically through schools. The council has not said how much the vouchers are worth. Kent County Council Kent County Council is running a "summer food voucher scheme", worth £90 to eligible households. The scheme will stay open until August but may close earlier if all available funds are allocated. You can refer yourself to the scheme or be referred by someone else. You have to meet certain criteria to qualify for help through the scheme. This includes being aged 16 or over, living in Kent, receiving means-tested benefits or having a household income of £33,000 or less a year. You also cannot apply if you have a child on free school meals. Further details can be found via Can I get help if I live outside these areas? Put simply, yes. However, it will depend on your circumstances and where you live. The Household Support Fund was set up to help households cover essentials such as energy or water bills and food costs. But, each council can set its own eligibility criteria meaning whether you qualify for help is a postcode lottery. That said, funding is aimed at anyone who's vulnerable or struggling to pay for essentials. So, if you are financially hard-up or on benefits, it is likely you will be able to get help. It's worth bearing in mind, any help you receive via the Household Support Fund won't affect your benefit payments. Some councils are allocating their share of the fund to community groups and charities who you have to get in touch with. If you're on benefits, have limited savings, or are struggling to cover food and energy bills, it's worth seeing if you're eligible for help. You can find out more via Household Support Fund explained Sun Savers Editor Lana Clements explains what you need to know about the Household Support Fund. If you're battling to afford energy and water bills, food or other essential items and services, the Household Support Fund can act as a vital lifeline. The financial support is a little-known way for struggling families to get extra help with the cost of living. Every council in England has been given a share of £742million cash by the government to distribute to local low income households. Each local authority chooses how to pass on the support. Some offer vouchers whereas others give direct cash payments. In many instances, the value of support is worth hundreds of pounds to individual families. Just as the support varies between councils, so does the criteria for qualifying. Many councils offer the help to households on selected benefits or they may base help on the level of household income. The key is to get in touch with your local authority to see exactly what support is on offer. The current round runs until the end of March 2026. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
The Sun
25-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Thousands of families can get free meal vouchers worth £500 over school holidays – check if you need to apply
THOUSANDS of families can get free meal and food vouchers worth £500 over the school holidays. The help comes via the whopping £742million Household Support Fund (HSF) which has been shared between councils in England. 1 Local authorities are currently in the process of deciding who to distribute help to and what form it will take. Support is usually offered to those on a low income, benefits or classed as vulnerable. Some councils are paying money directly into eligible households' bank accounts while others are issuing energy vouchers. But some are giving hard-up families free meal or food vouchers over the summer holidays. Here are all the councils distributing help. Bristol City Council Bristol City Council has confirmed it will give vouchers to free school meal and Pupil Premium children during all school holidays until at least March 2026. The local authority says vouchers will be sent from the school by email. Anyone who doesn't receive them should contact their school directly to find out when they will be sent. The council has not revealed how much the vouchers are worth. However, £30 vouchers were issued over the two-week Christmas break so are likely to be worth more over the summer holidays. You can find out more information via Ribble Valley Borough Council Ribble Valley Borough Council has opened its latest round of HSF and is offering households payments worth hundreds of pounds. Households with a combined income of less than £35,000 per year can apply for food vouchers ranging from £200 to £500. Vouchers are being distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis with only one application allowed per household. Priority is being given to new applicants, with households who received a voucher through the HSF round that ran between April and September 2024 only able to apply through this round from October. You can find out more via Hartlepool Borough Council Hartlepool Borough Council is awarding £100 food vouchers to hard-up households. The vouchers are being distributed to families where a child is aged between two and 19 and eligible for free school meals. You can find out more about the latest round of HSF on the council's website Tameside Council Tameside Council is spending around 60% of its HSF allocation on school holiday meal vouchers worth £15 a week. Pupils in post-16 education at Tameside College or Ashton Sixth Form won't be eligible for vouchers. Further details are yet to be revealed by the council, however any updates will be posted on its website. Visit for further information. Bracknell Forest Council Bracknell Forest Council is taking applications for cost of living vouchers for families with children on free school meals. Supermarket vouchers are being issued automatically through schools. The council has not said how much the vouchers are worth. Kent County Council Kent County Council is running a "summer food voucher scheme", worth £90 to eligible households. The scheme will stay open until August but may close earlier if all available funds are allocated. You can refer yourself to the scheme or be referred by someone else. You have to meet certain criteria to qualify for help through the scheme. This includes being aged 16 or over, living in Kent, receiving means-tested benefits or having a household income of £33,000 or less a year. You also cannot apply if you have a child on free school meals. Further details can be found via Can I get help if I live outside these areas? Put simply, yes. However, it will depend on your circumstances and where you live. The Household Support Fund was set up to help households cover essentials such as energy or water bills and food costs. But, each council can set its own eligibility criteria meaning whether you qualify for help is a postcode lottery. That said, funding is aimed at anyone who's vulnerable or struggling to pay for essentials. So, if you are financially hard-up or on benefits, it is likely you will be able to get help. It's worth bearing in mind, any help you receive via the Household Support Fund won't affect your benefit payments. Some councils are allocating their share of the fund to community groups and charities who you have to get in touch with. If you're on benefits, have limited savings, or are struggling to cover food and energy bills, it's worth seeing if you're eligible for help. You can find out more via Household Support Fund explained Sun Savers Editor Lana Clements explains what you need to know about the Household Support Fund. If you're battling to afford energy and water bills, food or other essential items and services, the Household Support Fund can act as a vital lifeline. The financial support is a little-known way for struggling families to get extra help with the cost of living. Every council in England has been given a share of £742million cash by the government to distribute to local low income households. Each local authority chooses how to pass on the support. Some offer vouchers whereas others give direct cash payments. In many instances, the value of support is worth hundreds of pounds to individual families. Just as the support varies between councils, so does the criteria for qualifying. Many councils offer the help to households on selected benefits or they may base help on the level of household income. The key is to get in touch with your local authority to see exactly what support is on offer. The current round runs until the end of March 2026.
Scottish Sun
23-06-2025
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Hard-up households can apply for food vouchers worth up to £500 now – check if you qualify
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SELECT UK households will be eligable for free food vouchers worth up to £500. The financial aid is part of the latest round of a Government scheme, and is designed to help hard-up families. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 UK households may be eligibale for up to £500 of food vouchers as part of a Government scheme (stock image) The fund will help residents of Ribble Valley who are deemed eligible, with applications now open. This latest round (HSF7) of the Government's Household Support Fund will see thousands of pounds given to those who need it. Ribble Valley Borough Council has received £158,983 to issue to local residents who meet the funding criteria. Households who need financial help and have a combined household income of less than £35,000 per year can apply for a food voucher. These vouchers will range in value from £200 to £500, depending on circumstances. Nicola Hopkins, the council's director of economic development and planning, spoke about the latest round of the iniative, which is designed to help with the rising cost of living. 'This latest round of funding will provide further much-needed support to local vulnerable residents who are most in need of help with the cost of essentials," she said. The scheme will run while funding is available and vouchers will be distributed on a first-come basis. So if you're a resident of Ribble Valley, check now to see if you qualify for this financial assistance. Only one application can be made per household. Disability benefit explained - what you can claim Priority is being given to new applicants, with households who received a voucher through HSF5 (April 2024-September 2024) only being eligible for HSF7 from October 1. Meanwhile, anyone who received a voucher as part of the HSF6 round (October 2024-March 2025) will not be eligible to apply for this latest round of vouchers. A series of vouchers are available as part of the scheme, depending on your household set-up. Vouchers worth £200 will be alotted to single households, while £300 will be given to households with two or more adults. Household with children, including any person under the age of 19 at the time of the award or a person aged 19 or over who is the subject of a child-related benefit, will receive a voucher worth £500. Cost of living payments: what you need to know HSF was introduced in October 2021 and there have been several rounds of funding since then. In October 2024, the Government announced that HSF would be extended nationwide for a further 12 months, from April 2025. Under HSF6, almost 300 households in Ribble Valley were issued supermarket vouchers totalling nearly £100,000. For further information or to apply for funding visit Help for Households
The Sun
23-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Hard-up households can apply for food vouchers worth up to £500 now – check if you qualify
SELECT UK households will be eligable for free food vouchers worth up to £500. The financial aid is part of the latest round of a Government scheme, and is designed to help hard-up families. 1 The fund will help residents of Ribble Valley who are deemed eligible, with applications now open. This latest round (HSF7) of the Government's Household Support Fund will see thousands of pounds given to those who need it. Ribble Valley Borough Council has received £158,983 to issue to local residents who meet the funding criteria. Households who need financial help and have a combined household income of less than £35,000 per year can apply for a food voucher. These vouchers will range in value from £200 to £500, depending on circumstances. Nicola Hopkins, the council's director of economic development and planning, spoke about the latest round of the iniative, which is designed to help with the rising cost of living. 'This latest round of funding will provide further much-needed support to local vulnerable residents who are most in need of help with the cost of essentials," she said. The scheme will run while funding is available and vouchers will be distributed on a first-come basis. So if you're a resident of Ribble Valley, check now to see if you qualify for this financial assistance. Only one application can be made per household. Priority is being given to new applicants, with households who received a voucher through HSF5 (April 2024-September 2024) only being eligible for HSF7 from October 1. Meanwhile, anyone who received a voucher as part of the HSF6 round (October 2024-March 2025) will not be eligible to apply for this latest round of vouchers. A series of vouchers are available as part of the scheme, depending on your household set-up. Vouchers worth £200 will be alotted to single households, while £300 will be given to households with two or more adults. Household with children, including any person under the age of 19 at the time of the award or a person aged 19 or over who is the subject of a child-related benefit, will receive a voucher worth £500. Cost of living payments: what you need to know HSF was introduced in October 2021 and there have been several rounds of funding since then. In October 2024, the Government announced that HSF would be extended nationwide for a further 12 months, from April 2025. Under HSF6, almost 300 households in Ribble Valley were issued supermarket vouchers totalling nearly £100,000.
