Parents are getting £75 per child in free cash and Asda vouchers this week – are you eligible?
HELPING HAND Parents are getting £75 per child in free cash and Asda vouchers this week – are you eligible?
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window)
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
MILLIONS of households will soon be able to get their hands on £75 in cash or Asda vouchers to help with the cost of living.
The help comes as part of the Government's Household Support Fund, and aims to aid those who are most vulnerable.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
1
Customers without bank accounts will receive Asda vouchers over the coming weeks
Credit: Getty
The scheme has been extended a number of times, with the latest round of payments running between April 2025 and March 2026.
Each council in England is allocated a portion of the £742 million fund, which it then distributes to residents struggling with the rising cost of living.
Eligibility criteria varies based on where you live but usually help is offered to those on benefits or a low income.
Thousands of households in Walsall will soon be able to benefit from the scheme, after the local council was allocated a chunk of the fund.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the council stated: "This week (week commencing 15 July 2025) we will make a one-off direct payment of £75 per child to families in receipt of Council Tax Reduction.
"Families will not need to apply for these payments.
"This is to support families over the holiday period. There are a small number of customers without bank accounts who will receive Asda Vouchers over the coming weeks.
"Where we do not hold bank details, payments will be posted to Council Tax accounts where customers can then request a refund."
What if I don't live in Walsall?
The £742million Household Support Fund has been shared between all councils in England.
So, if you don't live in Walsall but are struggling financially or are on benefits you will likely be eligible for help.
Disability benefit explained - what you can claim
This is because the fund was originally set up to help those on low incomes or classed as vulnerable.
What type of help you can get will vary but it could range from a free cash payment to supermarket vouchers.
It's worth bearing in mind, because the new round of the HSF has only just opened, you might not be able to apply for help yet.
However, it's worth keeping an eye on your local council's website or social media channels.
Most councils have pages on their websites dedicated to their HSF as well.
You might be able to find it by typing in the name of your council then "Household Support Fund" into Google search.
You may have to apply for help through the HSF or you may be contacted directly by your council.
Some local authorities send letters to your home to let you know about next steps you need to take.
Other help if you're on a low income
It's worth checking if you're eligible for benefits if you haven't already - it could boost your bank balance by thousands of pounds a year.
If you're struggling with the cost of food, check where your nearest food bank is, to help you get cupboard staples for less.
The Trussell Trust has hundreds of food banks across the UK, and you can find your nearest one here - trussell.org.uk/emergency-food/find-a-foodbank.
Meanwhile, if you have fallen behind on your energy bills, you might be able to get a grant to wipe any debt.
British Gas and Octopus Energy, the UK's two biggest energy firms, both run schemes offering customers grants worth up to £2,000.
You might be able to apply for a free grant through a local charity as well.
Charity Turn2Us has a free-to-use grants search tool on its website which you can find here - grants-search.turn2us.org.uk.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
26 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Get every child under 13 off social media immediately, minister tells tech giants
Every child in the UK under the age of 13 must be barred from social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and X, the Technology Secretary has said. In an interview with The Telegraph, Peter Kyle said he was aiming for '100 per cent' enforcement of the new laws, which come into force on Friday, requiring tech firms to block children aged under 13 from their platforms. He said he 'expected' the estimated 1.8 million children aged eight to 12 in the UK who already have social media accounts to be removed from the sites. 'I cannot see the circumstances where online activity under 13, when it comes to social media, is ever appropriate. So in this instance, it is right that the Government sets this baseline from which parents can build appropriate boundaries for their families,' said Mr Kyle. 'I've not met anybody within these companies that thinks it is appropriate or that allows their own children to use these products under the age of 13. So we should be working together to solve this issue.' 'Partnering with parents' Asked if that meant the 60 per cent of eight to 12-year-olds with social media accounts should be thrown off, he said: 'I would expect them to be removed and for the law to be rigorously enforced. 'It's going to be really hard for kids who have access that will now have it taken away. It is tough, but we're on the side of parents here. 'Parents repeatedly tell me that once they're on [social media], it is a constant battle between parent and child to get it out of their hands, particularly interrupting study time, bedtime and family time. So we are now partnering with parents, giving them the baseline to move forward.' The tech firms have been told they must either ensure their minimum age limits of 13 are properly enforced, or radically overhaul their sites to make content safe enough for the tens of thousands of underage children currently using them. The measures are part of new children's codes set by the regulator Ofcom, which require companies to block their access to harmful content, including suicide, self-harm, violence or misogyny, from July 25. From Friday, firms hosting porn will also be required by law to introduce 'highly effective' age checks such as credit cards, photo ID matching and digital ID services to prevent any under-18s accessing their sites. The top 10 adult websites, which account for 40 per cent of porn site users, have signed up to these age checks along with over 6,000 other sites including Elon Musk's X, Grindr and Reddit. Those that fail to implement age checks at the ages of 13 and 18 will face fines of up to 10 per cent of their global turnover or be banned from operating in the UK. Mr Kyle said Ofcom must not hesitate to use its powers, including blocking sites to 'send the message that access to the British economy and society is a privilege, not a right'. At least half a dozen tech firms, including a suicide forum and micro-blogging site, have already withdrawn from the UK market by geo-blocking users rather than comply with the Online Safety Act. The changes on Friday follow the implementation in March of tougher bans on illegal online content including child sex abuse, terrorism and fraud. However, Ofcom's new powers are considered more significant for protecting children from 'legal' harms such as suicide and self harm content, which are blamed for 14-year-old Molly Russell taking her own life. Mr Kyle said the move represented the 'biggest step change in the experience of young people online since the internet was created'. It also marks the culmination of an eight-year campaign by The Telegraph for a statutory duty of care on tech giants to protect children from online harms. On behalf of the Government, he offered an apology: 'My other reflection is the huge apology we owe young people who are over the age of 13 and yet lived in the online smartphone era. 'They were unprotected from the vile, harmful and damaging forces that made their way into their feeds without any restraint. I and we as a society owe them an apology, and I certainly offer it with all sincerity.' Mr Kyle said the changes would mean tech bosses, who can face up to two years in jail under the laws for persistent breaches of regulations, would 'live in anxiety' rather than the children who have previously been fed 'harmful content'. 'It means that people who peddle harmful and criminal content will finally be the people who live in anxiety, because we can and we will come after them if they continue to peddle their content,' said Mr Kyle. 'I expect the law to be enforced to the full extent of the powers that Parliament has granted.' He also warned there would be tough penalties for tech firms that tried to circumvent the new laws with, for example, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) where users can disguise their IDs and bypass blocks on content. 'If platforms or sites signpost towards workarounds like VPNs, then that itself is a crime and will be tackled by these codes,' said Mr Kyle. 'If a company directly delivers harmful content into the feeds of children, it is the arrival into their feeds which is the offence. If they direct children via other means to that content, it has the same outcome.' He confirmed the Government was considering further measures to combat the 'addictive' nature of social media by introducing two-hour caps on app time and curfews to limit use before bedtime. They are expected to be unveiled in the Autumn. 'In the offline world, parents set boundaries on diet, exercise, social networks and sleep time but we've never had that conversation about the online world. It's time we did,' said Mr Kyle. He added: 'It is not telling parents how to parent, but offering tools to parents to set the kind of family life that they think appropriate.' Mr Kyle revealed that at every meeting with tech bosses, he imagined there was a camera in the room where parents like Molly Russell's father who lost their children in online tragedies could watch him. 'Would they feel their views and their children's experiences had been represented? I hope that they would,' he said. 'Some of those conversations I've had have been uncomfortable and ended uncomfortably.' He said that was the reason why he was aiming for all harmful content to be removed from children's feeds. 'I'm aiming for 100 per cent but I need to be realistic with people,' he said. 'If we take steps forward where 70, 80, or even more per cent of vile, hateful, damaging content disappears from children's feeds, that's a win that I'll take to the bank and move forward from. 'But these companies have the capacity to allow hundreds of millions, if not billions, of posts to go online rapidly. Don't tell me they don't have the infrastructure that enables it to be removed too. 'This Act has been one of the longest pieces of legislation in gestation, in its passage through Parliament and its pathway to implementation, than any other. They have had time. They have seen the direction of travel. Now it's time to act.'
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Ghana narrows fiscal deficit target after better-than-expected first half
ACCRA, July 24 (Reuters) - Ghana has narrowed its fiscal deficit target for 2025 after a better-than-expected first six months of the year, its finance minister said on Thursday, pledging to get public finances back on track. The West African country is emerging from its worst economic crisis in a generation, featuring turmoil in its cocoa and gold industries, a severe cost-of-living squeeze and a lengthy debt-restructuring process. But this year, key macroeconomic indicators have improved, with growth accelerating to 5.3% year-on-year in the first quarter and inflation falling to 13.7% in June, its lowest since 2021. The government now expects a fiscal deficit of 3.8% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) this year, narrower than the 4.1% targeted in March, Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson told parliament during a mid-year review of public finances. In the first six months the deficit was 1.1% of GDP, ahead of the 2.4% targeted. Forson said economic growth could possibly exceed the March target of 4% and officials were hopeful they could hit the year-end inflation target of 11.9% ahead of schedule. "We have borrowed less than we planned, signifying strong expenditure control and fiscal discipline," Forson said. "This is a strong signal to the investor community and all stakeholders that the needed fiscal consolidation is happening here in Ghana and it will be sustained." In the first half of the year, total revenue and grants were roughly 3% short of target, but expenditure came in 14% below target. Forson said risks to the public purse included a shortfall in customs revenue, mounting wage pressures and smuggling of marine gas oil, adding Ghana was not out of the woods yet.
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Skydiving company closes for good after mum-of-four fell to her death with instructor in tandem skydive
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE SKYDIVING company where a mum and her instructor plunged to their deaths has announced it has ceased trading - leaving punters hundreds of pounds out of pocket. Skydive Buzz Ltd, based at Dunkeswell Airfield, near Honiton, Devon, has told customers that the firm is to be put into compulsory liquidation. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Belinda Taylor was killed in a skydive jump Credit: facebook/scottarmstrong 3 Her instructor also died in the horror The company arranged a tandem parachute jump which went catastrophically wrong, leading to the deaths of Belinda Taylor, 48, and her instructor Adam Harrison, 30, on Friday, June 13. The pair died in a field after their parachutes failed to open. A British Skydiving Board of Inquiry is investigating. In recent weeks the company had stopped answering calls and customers said bookings had been cancelled. Now Skydive Buzz has sent an email to those customers informing them of its decision. The letter, sent out on Thursday, July 24, says: "It is with regret that the directors have been required to make the difficult decision to cease operations with immediate effect. "It is proposed that the company be placed into compulsory liquidation in due course. "The Official Receiver should be in contact with creditors and customers to provide an update regarding the closure of the company and the proposed liquidation proceedings." One customer said she is currently £550 out of pocket after paying for three skydives. She said: 'We have contacted the voucher company that we got them from and because it's been over two years since we bought the vouchers (because our skydives have been cancelled three times now since 2023) we won't be getting our money back apparently. "I have always found them very helpful when the sky dives have been cancelled. "They have always been very accommodating so it's very frustrating to find out that this is basically now just lost money." Another customer said: "We were due to skydive Sunday, July 6 but it was cancelled due to weather. Brit SAS hero killed in parachute crash in South Africa at skydiving contest "They sent us a link to re-book but they had nothing else available the week we were in Devon. "We emailed them twice whilst we were there but no reply. Also tried calling once home. "Then I checked the website and Facebook page and noticed it was no longer there. "Luckily we booked through Virgin who have offered vouchers or a refund so money wise we are ok." Other customers include Marie Neal who was due to jump earlier this month having raised thousands of pounds for St Luke's Hospice in memory of her dad who was struck down with Hodgkin's Disease and died aged 57. Prior to receiving the email from the company, she said: "I have a lot of people that have sponsored me and St Luke's are waiting for their money but Buzz Skydiving seems to have disappeared." In the aftermath of the tragedy Skydive Buzz announced its intention to continue. It says the closure is due to financial reasons alone. A number of jobs will be lost but the company has not said how many. In its email the company has offered some advice to those with vouchers. It says: "It is advisable to contact the voucher company in the first instance (i.e. Virgin, Red Letter Days, Into the Blue, etc) to progress potential refunds. "Customers paying by credit card may be entitled to a refund through Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, subject to certain conditions. "Customers paying by debit card may be able to request a chargeback through their bank, subject to certain conditions. "We would like to thank our staff, customers and all involved with Sky Dive Buzz for their support over the years and apologise again that we have been left with little other option but to close." Inquests have been opened into the tragic deaths of Belinda, who lived in Totnes, and Adam, who lived in Bournemouth, Dorset. Belinda was a participant in the tandem skydive, with Adam as her instructor. The pair exited the aircraft and began the freefall, the inquest heard. The parachute did not open as expected and they died of injuries sustained in the fall. Belinda's partner Scott Armstrong spoke of his heartbreak after she died. Scott had bought Belinda the skydive as a "thank you" present, he said, after she let his nine-year-old son move into their home. Belinda had never jumped from an aircraft before, but was described as an adrenaline junkie who would try anything once.
