Government support for struggling households worth £1.33 million is being distributed in Herefordshire.

Local authorities have been given some leeway over how to spend the Household Support Fund locally.

It “should be used to support households in the most need, particularly those who are not eligible for the other government support recently made available”, Herefordshire Council’s decision said.

The council is providing households with vouchers and other payment methods, for food or other goods, as well as giving grants to organisations providing support to households “in the same manner”.

It will provide vouchers during school holidays worth at least £15 per week via schools for each child entitled to free school meals. This will cover the six weeks of the two half terms, Christmas, and Easter holidays that fall within the funding period.

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Other vouchers given to households will be of a value “deemed appropriate for the recipient”, up to a maximum of £500 for the October to March funding period.

The funding will also support an emergency help scheme through the council’s local welfare provision service.

The council says it will work with other organisations to identify vulnerable households in the county, which “should include low-income families with children of all ages, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers, and disabled people”.

“There will be no one single definition of a vulnerable household, as services will be best placed to assess vulnerability and set their own criteria,” the council added.

Funding will cover energy efficiency measures intended to bring “ongoing savings” for households, as well as “essential” transport costs.

The funding rules will apply beyond next March if the funding is extended, unless the Government says otherwise.

The council expects to spend £93,000 on administering the funding, equal to 7 per cent of its value.

Details of the funding and how to access it can be found on the Herefordshire Council website.