Could the government's new Help for Households scheme ease the rising cost of living?

The government has launched Help for Households, its latest campaign which aims to assist with the ongoing cost of living crisis, involving discount schemes from retailers and supermarkets, and a new webpage that groups together its related help and advice. 

Brands taking part include Amazon, Asda, Morrisons and Vodafone – with deals intended to bring costs down and make certain activities cheaper for families during the summer holidays. 

Here, we look at what Help for Households discounts are available, as well as other support you can get to help with the rising cost of living. We'll update this article if any new discounts are added.

What is Help for Households?

Announced today (21 July), Help for Households is the name the government has given to a group of different initiatives from retailers. Despite the big announcement, several of these schemes have already been running for a while now. 

Promotions include:

Amazon

The online retailer has launched a new 'help for households' page with access to free entertainment, such as Freevee and Amazon Music, plus free education resources for school-aged children, and essential groceries at a low price.

Asda

The supermarket’s ‘kids eat for £1’ scheme will give children aged 16 and under a hot or cold meal for £1 at Asda Cafés at any time of the day from 25 July to 4 September, with no minimum spend required for an accompanying adult. Asda announced this scheme earlier this month. 

Morrisons

You can get a free kids meal with every adult meal at the supermarket’s in-store cafés, for children aged 16 and under. 

Sainsbury’s

The ‘feed your family for a fiver’ promotion provides budget-friendly meal ideas to customers that feed families of four for under £5. You can find the list of recipes on the Sainsbury's website. 

Theatres

London theatres will unite for ‘kids week’ – a kids go free scheme for West End shows. Free kids tickets are available when you purchase a full-priced adult ticket. It’s one free ticket per adult, with half-price tickets for two additional children in that party. The offer is set to run throughout August, but was first announced in June.

Vodafone

The mobile network’s social tariff costs £10 a month. It gives unlimited 5G data, calls and texts to anyone receiving benefits. It launched in April.

• Find out more: cheap and free things to do over the summer holidays

How does the Help for Households webpage work?

The government has added a new hub to its gov.uk site that collects all the support it’s currently offering for those struggling with the cost of living crisis. You can find it here.

There’s currently no new help included on the site. Instead, you’ll find lists of measures like the £400 energy grant and council tax rebate, alongside older initiatives like train railcards.

What other cost of living help is available?

As well as the £400 energy grant, which everyone is eligible for, other government measures include:

£650 for people receiving means-tested benefits

Eight million low-income households will receive £650 each to help with the cost of living. The first installment started being paid on 14 July - and should hit all eligible people's bank accounts by the end of the month, with another payment to follow in the autumn. 

£150 for people receiving non-means-tested disability benefits

Six million people who receive non-means-tested disability benefits will be given a one-off payment of £150. 

£300 for pensioners receiving Winter Fuel Payment

Pensioners who receive the Winter Fuel Payment will receive an extra £300 this autumn.

Where else can I go for support?

If you, like many, are still struggling with rising costs, there other places you can turn. 

Banks

Your bank might be able to offer some support. We asked some of the UK’s biggest banks about how they’re helping customers through the crisis. Some had set up new initiatives, while others said they had helpful services in place already. 

You can read about what they told us in this story: can your bank help you through the cost of living crisis?

Charities

Local and national charities are also offering support to struggling people during the crisis. 

You can use the Trussell Trust to find a food bank near you, and Citizens Advice can offer help and advice you if you’re in debt.

• Find out more: free debt advice contacts