Devon County Council will continue vital support to households, despite reduction in Government funding

Devon County Councils Cabinet have agreed how it will allocate a smaller pot of national funding to help families struggling with high costs of food, energy, and other essential household items.

The Council have received funding to operate a Household Support Fund (HSF) since 2021. Last year, it totalled £10.1 million, but this year (2025/26) the funding has fallen for the first time, to £8.9 million – a decrease of 11.87 per cent.

Funding is allocated to support households across Devon in various ways.  A large proportion of it goes in providing free school meal holiday vouchers to children and young people who are eligible for benefits-related free school meals during term time.  Around 22,500 children and young people are eligible for benefits-related free school meals in Devon.

It’s also shared among Devon’s District Councils to support households struggling to afford essentials, helping those approaching them directly for support and/or targeting households in receipt of some benefits who they already know will be struggling with the cost of living.

Some of it is used by Citizen’s Advice Devon, helping households struggling with high energy and water costs through an Energy and Water Relief scheme.

And Devon Community Foundation operates a Food Fuel & More, HSF-funded, grant scheme to support voluntary and community organisations, helping vulnerable people who are less like to access support through the other available support gateways.

Councillors agreed to continue funding free school meal holiday vouchers, to the same level – £15 per child per week during school holidays.

The decision effectively commits half this year’s total Household Support Fund (HSF7) for free school meal holiday vouchers, compared to around 26 per cent of last year’s (HSF6).

The rest will be allocated proportionally to Devon district councils, Citizens Advice Devon and Devon Community Foundation.

In addition, councillors agreed to set up a vulnerable families’ contingency fund, to give the council flexibility to provide additional support for households later in the year, in response to cost of living issues – as a consequence of wider political and economic pressures.