Rotherham Council is set to continue its support for the most vulnerable residents across the borough, including free school meals during school holidays and help with energy bills.
The Council has been allocated £4.387million from the Government’s Household Support Fund for 2025/26, which will be used to support residents most in need and struggling with the cost of living.
- A total of £2.687m is allocated to ensure vouchers for free school meals continue for school holidays from May half-term to Easter 2026. This will allow almost 13,500 children across Rotherham to have access to free school meals during the holidays.
- The Council’s Energy Crisis Support Scheme will also get a share of the money in autumn 2025. A total of £500,000 has been allocated to support 2,000 grants of £250 for residents struggling to pay their energy bill in the autumn and winter months.
- A further £950k has been allocated towards the estimated cost of the Local Council Tax Support Scheme, which will allow around 14,400 low income working age households to receive discounts of up to 100% on Council Tax bills.
- Young people leaving foster or local authority care are also set to benefit with £90,000 allocated to support them to live independently in their own homes.
- A further £60,000 is proposed for the Voluntary and Community Sector to provide support to vulnerable families over Christmas and New Year. Last year almost 600 Christmas hampers were given out to families most in need.
- Finally, £100k will be made available to provide up to 4,000 parcels of essential household items, such as hygiene products, to support residents.
Leader of Rotherham Council, Councillor Chris Read, said: “We know that for many residents, the cost of living crisis never came to an end. That’s why we are glad to be able to allocate a further round of funding so that £3.9m is automatically allocated to families on the lowest incomes across the borough – no applications necessary. At the same time we can confirm funding for a further round of Energy Crisis payments for next winter, which will help hundreds of households to keep the lights and heating on.”
The Council’s Cabinet is set to approve the spending when it meets on Monday 14 April.
To find out more about the support currently available for residents, go online to the Rotherham Council website at www.rotherham.gov.uk/money-matters.