Household support funding for residents in need

Funding to support residents in low-income households is being allocated by Tameside Council.

The council has received confirmation of £3.92m Household Support Fund (HSF) for the 2025/26 financial year. This has been agreed from April 2025 to March 2026.

The fund is intended to support a wide range of low-income households in need, including families with children, pensioners, unpaid carers, care leavers, disabled people, larger families and single people.

Around 60% of funding is to be spent on increasing school holiday meal vouchers back up to £15 per week, which was previously £10 per week.

This will no longer include support for pupils in post-16 education at Tameside College or Ashton Sixth Form. Colleges have access to discretionary bursary support to help pupils from low-income households and student support services should have criteria in place for this.

Tameside Council plan on allocating a section of the fund to further expand on the Community Offer within the borough. This will involve funding warm spaces and additional signposting to organisations that offer wrap around support.

Other funding will be allocated to the Tameside Community Food Skills Project, which will enable cooking sessions to be delivered to vulnerable residents and groups to increase development of food knowledge and skills.

The funding will deliver an estimated 200 slow cookers and 50 cooking demonstration sessions.

Funding will be allocated to Welfare Rights and Debt Advice to deliver benefits and debt advice, as well as housing costs, essential furniture support and direct grants to prevent crisis.

There will also be funding set aside for an Open Application, so residents have the opportunity to come forward to ask for support. This will be judged on an eligibility scale.

The full funding allocation is due to be agreed by the council’s Executive Cabinet on Wednesday 25 June.

Tameside Council’s Executive Member for Finance and Resources, Cllr Hugh Roderick said: “The government's decision to continue funding the HSF for a further year means Tameside Council can continue to help keep residents safe, supported and healthy in times of need.

“The funding has allowed us to increase the level of support for our most deprived children and work with services and partners means that we can ensure we fund the activities that will help residents most”

Helping Hand Tameside can help residents find local support services, providing financial, wellbeing, and benefit support in Tameside.

For more information on how to access further support with cost of living please visit www.tameside.gov.uk/helpinghand