The impacts of the cost of living crisis have been ongoing since late 2021.

Rotherham Council has used a £4.4 million grant to help provide vulnerable households with support amid cost of living pressures.

The Household Support Fund (HSF) government grant was awarded to the council to support residents struggling financially.

During a recent scrutiny meeting, a report discussed how the grant had helped families across the borough.

As of March 31, 2026, the council had spent this grant allocation on help including 141,748 Free School Meals vouchers given to support families with children during school holidays.

Extra support was also given to 17,558 households with their council tax bills.

Over £413,000 was used to support 1,657 families with their energy bills, under the council’s Energy Crisis Support Scheme.

The grant also supported volunteer and community services to distribute crisis food parcels, and helped 657 vulnerable households during the Christmas and New Year period.

Care leavers were also supported with £90,000 in funding, helping to cover energy and food costs.

Rotherham Council’s Leader, Councillor Chris Read, said: “Our determination throughout the Household Support Fund grant has been to ensure that as much of that national funding as possible has found its way to support Rotherham residents who need it the most, without placing a further burden on those individuals and families.

“As a result, some 13,000 local children received free school meal vouchers during the school holidays, and 16,000 working age households received support towards their Council Tax.

“We provided £90,000 to our young care leavers to cover essential bills and supported more than 1,600 households with £250 towards fuel bills at times when they would otherwise have been switching off the lights and heating, through our Energy Crisis Support Scheme.”

The Household Support Fund ended in March this year and was replaced by the government’s new Crisis and Resilience Fund.

“This is a higher level of funding for the borough with more certainty for the next three years, albeit with some different national stipulations which have required us to make changes to the way in which our schemes operate,” Cllr Read added.

“As a result we are bringing together this kind of direct financial support, financial advice and guidance, and our services that help people overcome the barriers to work, so we can continue to provide support to those in the most acute difficulties while also helping people to stand on their own two feet and get into employment.”