Financially vulnerable households to receive vital support

Hartlepool Borough Council has been awarded a grant of £1,750,170 in the latest round of the Household Support Fund (HSF), with the money to be spent by April 2026.

The primary objective is to provide crisis support with the cost of essentials to households most in need.

The Council’s main HSF initiatives in 2025/26 are:

· Provision of £100 food vouchers to all children eligible for free school meals aged 2-19 (£742,700).

· Provision of £100 payments or food vouchers to pensioners in receipt of Local Council Tax Support (£440,800).

· Creation of an HSF application fund aimed at people who can demonstrate they are struggling but unable to access other forms of support (£226,000).

· Grant support to enable Hartlepool Food Bank to distribute food parcels/bags to advice agencies in the borough (£40,000).

· Grants to both the Hartlepool Citizens Advice Bureau and Advice at Hart to enable them to provide support to people with their energy bills (£90,000 each).

· Creation of an HSF application fund to help residents struggling with exceptional housing costs (£20,661).

· Grant support to West View Advice and Resource Centre to provide household essentials that make the cost of living more manageable (£10,000).

· A contribution to the work of the Hartlepool Poverty Truth Commission (£2,000).

Councillor Brenda Harrison, Leader of Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “We know that a lot of households across the borough are struggling financially, and we hope that these measures will help to bring them some much-needed relief and ease the pressure they are currently under.

“Support will be administered based on need. However, it will not only be targeted at people in receipt of benefits but also others who are working but on low incomes.

“This demonstrates the Council’s on-going commitment and determination to tackle financial hardship and to improve the lives of Hartlepool residents.”