State pensioners in one part of the UK are being handed £85 vouchers to spend in supermarkets to help with the cost of living.
The vouchers are being awarded to people of state pension age in Telford and Wrekin in Shropshire who are in receipt of certain benefits, with the vouchers to be issued in January 2026. Although this specific scheme applies in one area of the West Midlands region (not county), the vouchers are being supplied as part of the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Household Support Fund and other local councils are giving out cost of living support in other parts of the UK too. The DWP scheme gives local councils across England a share of a funding pot worth £742million and helps vulnerable homes pay for essential living costs over the winter months, including energy bills, food and other essentials.
The funding is allocated from now until March 31, 2026, and local councils independently decide how to share the cash, so depending on where you live, there may be different criteria to qualify for the support.
In Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Council have been allocated £2.669million from the DWP as part of the scheme and this will be distributed to eligible households between now and March 31, 2026.
The council has confirmed that it will be using part of this funding to support state pension age households in receipt of Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Reduction.
Those who meet the eligibility criteria will receive one £85 supermarket voucher per household and this will be issued by the council in January 2026.
The council said: “In Telford and Wrekin, as well as our application-based scheme, we are using this funding to support state pension-age residents who receive Housing Benefit and/or Council Tax Reduction with one £85 supermarket voucher per household, which will be issued in January 2026. We will contact residents directly who qualify with details of how to redeem their voucher.”
“Awards will be made in the form of supermarket vouchers. We will continue to contact residents directly who qualify with details of how to redeem their voucher.”
The council added: “If you are suffering exceptional financial hardship that risks the wellbeing of you and your family, you can make an application to our Discretionary Household Support Fund. The income, capital and essential expenditure of your family will be looked at when we consider whether you qualify for an award.
“Awards will usually be in the form of a supermarket voucher or an energy voucher/payment. We will usually only grant one award per household and you must live within the Borough of Telford & Wrekin.
“We process applications in date order and will contact you as soon as we can. We aim to contact you in seven working days; however, during busy times, it can take longer.”
As Household Support Fund cash is distributed independently by local councils in England, it means that the cost of living support available will vary by location, with different vouchers or grants up for grabs up and down the country.
The payments may also be issued at different times depending on where you live, so it’s possible for some to receive the support in time for Christmas, while others may have a longer wait.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) says there may also be differences in who the money is given to and if or how you need to apply for the support, as some local councils opt to share the money out through local charities and community groups, while some limit household applications to one per year.
For example, households in Staffordshire can get a one off £300 utility payment made direct to their utility provider via the scheme, while residents in Calderdale can get a maximum of two payments of £85, amounting to £170 worth of support in total.
In the East Midlands, households in Nottingham can apply for £100 vouchers to spend in supermarkets, while in South Yorkshire, Doncaster Council is giving eligible households up to £300 towards food costs and other households can qualify for a £100 payment to go towards energy bills.
In the East of England, Cambridgeshire County Council is issuing £110 to eligible households in the form of direct payments or supermarket vouchers, while residents in Manchester receiving Council Tax support and a disability benefit can get payments of up to £130 to help with living costs.