Eligible households can choose how they want to spend the cash.
Eligible households can get £110 vouchers to spend at four supermarkets (Image: Getty)
Households in one part of the UK are being handed £110 supermarket vouchers to spend at Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco to help with the rising cost of living. The vouchers are being awarded to low-income households as part of the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Household Support Fund, with other local councils 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 to help vulnerable households struggling to afford 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 the East of England, Cambridgeshire County Council has confirmed it will be issuing £110 financial awards to eligible households between now and March 31, 2026. Households can apply for the support online and will be eligible for a payment if they live in Cambridgeshire, have £16,000 or less in money, savings and investments, and have income levels less than the criteria set out by the council.
Those who meet the criteria will be paid £110 in one lump sum or can choose to split the payment into a selection of vouchers, including supermarket vouchers that can be redeemed at Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, and Tesco.
The council explains: “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.
- 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.”
The £110 funding is limited to one award per household and direct applications will be closed from 12pm noon on Monday, December 22, 2025 and will reopen on Monday, January 5, 2026.
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, so it’s possible for some to receive the support in time for Christmas, while others may have a longer wait.
The Department for Work and Pensions (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.
Elsewhere, residents in Manchester receiving Council Tax support and a disability benefit can get payments of up to £130 to help with living costs.
