Thousands of households in North Yorkshire are set to receive a vital financial boost this week, with free £190 vouchers for essential groceries becoming available from Thursday.
Urgent Deadline for Voucher Claims
The support is being delivered through the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Household Support Fund, administered by North Yorkshire Council. However, there is a critical deadline for residents. All eligible households must select their e-vouchers by Wednesday, 12 November 2025. The local authority has explicitly warned that it cannot process any claims submitted after this date.
Eligibility and Payment Details
For this seventh phase of the scheme, the council has updated its eligibility criteria to direct support to the lowest income households. Payments are specifically targeted at households who were receiving a weekly discount of 75% or more on their council tax bill through the means-tested Council Tax Reduction Scheme as of Monday, 1 September 2025.
The council stated, "We have widened our scheme this year to support more people. If your circumstances have changed, you might have received a payment as part of a previous phase and not this time." This means some previous recipients may not qualify under the new, stricter criteria focused on those with the very highest council tax discounts.
How to Use the Supermarket Vouchers
Successful applicants will be able to choose e-vouchers for nine different supermarkets. The full list of participating retailers is: Aldi, ASDA, Farmfoods, Iceland, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose.
Residents have the flexibility to split the £190 value across one or all of the nine supermarkets. However, the council emphasises that once the selection is made, no changes can be made.
The vouchers are intended for food and other essential items. They come with important restrictions: they cannot be used to pay for fuel, scratch cards, lottery tickets, tobacco products, or pre-paid gift cards. It is also noted that each supermarket may have its own specific exemptions.
For online shoppers, it's important to know that only ASDA, Marks and Spencer, Sainsbury’s, and Waitrose offer the option to use the vouchers for both in-store and online purchases.
