Eligible households are being given vital financial support this winter.
Eligible households can get £110 to spend at four major supermarkets (Image: Getty)
Households in one part of the UK are being handed £110 supermarket vouchers to spend in Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s and Tesco from Monday to help with the cost of living. The vouchers are being awarded to eligible households in Cambridgeshire as part of the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Household Support Fund, and other local councils are giving out cost of living support in other parts of the UK too.
The DWP scheme gives local councils across England a share of a funding pot worth £742 million and helps vulnerable homes pay for essential living costs over the winter months, including energy bills, food and other essentials. The funding is allocated from now until March 31, 2026, and local councils independently decide how to share the cash, so depending on where you live, there may be different criteria to qualify for the support.
In Cambridgeshire, Cambridgeshire County Council has confirmed it will be issuing supermarket vouchers worth £110 to eligible households from Monday, when the scheme reopens for applications.
Direct applications to the Household Support Fund in Cambridgeshire were closed on December 22, 2025, but the scheme is due to reopen again at midday on Monday, January 5, 2026, meaning households can apply for the vital support.
The council has confirmed that households will be eligible to access the £110 supermarket vouchers if they live in Cambridgeshire, have £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments, and meet certain low income levels.
Those who qualify will be awarded £110 per household and this can be paid in the form of supermarket vouchers that can be redeemed at Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco.
Alternatively, households also have the option of receiving the £110 as a Paypoint Cashout Voucher, an energy voucher, a Post Office voucher, or as a lump sum bank transfer.
Cambridgeshire County Council said: “A financial award, totalling £110 (per household). This award can be paid in one lump sum to you or, split into your choice of different vouchers as follows:
- Paypoint Cashout Voucher – a code sent to your mobile number and redeemable at any PayPoint site. Find your local PayPoint store here.
- We can now offer a Post Office cashout voucher as an alternative to Paypoint. This is sent to your mobile number. If you choose a cashout voucher then one of the team will contact you to ask if you would like Paypoint or Post Office. If they are unable to contact you then a Paypoint voucher will be issued by default.
- Supermarket Voucher – sent by email to be redeemed at any of the following supermarkets: Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco. Please note only Asda vouchers can be used online.
- Paypoint Energy Voucher – sent to your mobile number and redeemable at any PayPoint site. This voucher can only be used if you have a pre-payment meter that requires them to top up via key/fob in store and their provider is NOT British Gas.
- BACS Transfer – amount sent directly to your bank account. Payment can take up to 3 working days to show in your account. We will require your bank account name, account number and sort code for processing.
“If you live with a spouse or partner, you must make a joint application for your household (even if your spouse/partner is not applying). Your eligibility will depend on your partner’s income, as well as your own.
“The appropriate financial support payment will be awarded to you, following assessment of your eligibility. Each case will be treated with the strictest confidence and discretion and processed fairly and equitably.”
As Household Support Fund cash is distributed independently by local councils in England, it means that the cost of living support available will vary by location, with different vouchers or grants up for grabs up and down the country. The payments may also be issued at different times depending on where you live.
The DWP says there may also be differences in who the money is given to and if or how you need to apply for the support, as some local councils opt to share the money out through local charities and community groups, while some limit household applications to one per year.
For example, households in Staffordshire can get a one off £300 utility payment made direct to their utility provider via the scheme, while residents in Calderdale can get a maximum of two payments of £85, amounting to £170 worth of support in total.
In the East Midlands, households in Nottingham can apply for £100 vouchers to spend in supermarkets, while in South Yorkshire, Doncaster Council is giving eligible households up to £300 towards food costs and other households can qualify for a £100 payment to go towards energy bills.
