UP to 3,900 of the county’s most vulnerable adults will be receiving letters in the coming days that include a £200 voucher from Essex County Council (ECC) to help with energy costs and food.

This is a new voucher scheme funded by ECC’s Household Support Fund (HSF), a fund set up with a one-off £9.4m grant from the Department for Work and Pensions in October 2021.

In November, the county council announced how this £9.4m would be allocated. This included allocations for free school meals during the holidays, support for rough sleepers and support for residents who need help with food and utility bills.

With the cost of living continuing to rise nationally, this new voucher scheme will allow those who may be struggling to use the vouchers to feed themselves and their families, and keep warm this winter.

The vouchers, which can be redeemed at any Post Office have been posted out this week to up to 3,900 adults in Essex, who have known care and support needs.

Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, Cllr John Spence said: “With the cost of living continuing to rise, we must support those most vulnerable in our community.

“Only this week, we have seen the energy price cap increase and people are worried.

“We hope that this one off payment – which is completely separate from the government support schemes announced this week- will help some of those struggling in the interim and relieve some of the worry.

“This is just one of many schemes we are delivering to help our residents who are struggling financially and we will continue to do all we can to be there for them when they need us.”

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Community, Equality, Partnerships and Performance, Cllr Louise McKinlay said: “The last few years have been hard and we know many people are feeling the strain at this time.

“The Household Support Fund enables us to help those in need this winter. It has kept and continues to keep people warm, put food on the table, support those most vulnerable and hopefully alleviate some of the pressure and stress for those who are struggling.

“I would urge anyone who feels they would benefit from some help to see if they are eligible for support and look at our website to see what funding is available and how to access it.”

Information of what additional support is available can be found here: https://www.essex.gov.uk/money-debt-and-benefits/emergency-money-and-food