Thousands of households in Nottingham are facing a critical deadline, with just hours remaining to apply for a vital £100 supermarket voucher designed to help with essential costs.
Urgent Deadline for Essential Support
The application window for the £100 supermarket vouchers, issued by Nottingham City Council, closes at midnight tonight. The support is part of the wider Household Support Fund, a national scheme providing local authorities across England with a share of a £742 million funding pot to assist vulnerable residents.
While the council has not published a definitive list of eligibility rules, the vouchers are primarily intended for individuals and families on a low income or those receiving benefits. Applicants must submit their request through the Nottingham City Council website before the deadline passes.
How the Voucher Scheme Works
The council has allocated a further £1 million to support its most vulnerable residents this winter. A total of 10,000 vouchers will be distributed to successful applicants. Importantly, the allocation will be made on a random basis, not first-come, first-served, so there is no advantage to applying extremely early within the window.
Even households that received a voucher from the council since April 2025 are still eligible to apply for this new round of support. The council aims to respond to applications via email by December 12, but it has warned that the physical vouchers may not be received until as late as February 28, 2026.
Councillor Cheryl Barnard, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, stated: “I’m really pleased that a further £1m of support has been made available to the most vulnerable residents in Nottingham to help with bills over the winter months.” She added that the funding aims to ease the burden of higher seasonal costs for those most impacted by the prolonged cost of living crisis.
National Support Through Local Councils
The Nottingham scheme is a local manifestation of the national Household Support Fund, which empowers councils to provide targeted help for essential living costs like food and energy bills. Residents anywhere in England who are struggling financially are urged to contact their own local authority to inquire about available support.
Other councils are running similar initiatives. For instance, Wakefield Council is issuing food vouchers to low-income households receiving Council Tax Support. Pensioners in this group should have received a £70 voucher in November, with a £50 voucher for families coming from December 15 and a £70 voucher for other eligible households distributed between December 3 and 12.
Meanwhile, Blackpool Council is providing direct energy bill support. Eligible one or two-person households can claim £200, while households with three or more people can receive £300. To claim this help, applicants must demonstrate financial hardship and provide recent bank statements for all household members as evidence.
Councillor Barnard concluded by directing residents to the council's website for further advice and information on other support schemes, emphasising the ongoing commitment to assist those in financial difficulty.
