One in five households in one part of Kent have received support from a “vital” government scheme helping the most vulnerable.

The Household Support Fund (HSF) has supported 21,000 Medway households through free school meals, supermarket and school uniform vouchers, and energy cards since April last year.

Initially the uptake of the scheme was low with just £178,000 of the £1.6 million in support for those struggling with cost-of-living pressures having been used in the first six months.

At a cabinet meeting in September, the council allocated money from the total £4.5 million fund to better advertise the support for people who need it after the low uptake.

They also agreed to amend the application process to remove hurdles to those who were eligible.

Six months on, the HSF has used almost all of its money before the March 31 deadline, providing approximately 12,500 children with free school meals and 8,500 households with support with the rising cost of living.

Ahead of the Spring budget, Medway Council voted unanimously to write to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, asking him to renew the scheme as it was due to conclude at the end of March, as well as signing a joint letter with 175 other councils.

They said it provided vital support for the most hard-up residents across the Towns and would be disastrous if it ended abruptly.

In his speech on March 6, Jeremy Hunt confirmed HSF would continue for another six months.

As part of its efforts to distribute funding, Medway Council used a Low Income Family Tracker (LIFT) tool to identify households which might be able to receive assistance but hadn’t applied.

The council says in the last quarter 1833 pensioner households were identified as being in food or fuel poverty and were contacted to receive £250 through the Post Office Payout scheme.

Steve Long, who runs the Strood Community Shop, said making people aware of schemes which can help them is difficult, especially considering funding for services which can help eligible people apply has been cut.

He told the LDRS: “One of the issues with any sort of scheme like this is making sure people know about it and can access it - that’s half the battle.

“Unfortunately, a lot of the advice services we used to offer are no longer funded.

“We used to do a lot of work helping people to apply for not just the HSF but many other schemes which they’re not aware of.”

He added in recent years the noticeable change was in the type of people coming forward for help - with people in work now also feeling financial pressures.

To find out more about the HSF and if you’re eligible, click here.

Medway Council leader Vince Maple (Lab) said: “With the cost-of-living crisis ongoing, the HSF is a much-needed and vital lifeline for many.

“I am pleased we have been able to offer this support to some of our most vulnerable residents through the fund, whether it is directly through the grant or access to free school meals.

“I would encourage anybody who feels like they need support, even if they have never reached out for support before, to have a look at our full cost of living plan, along with resources and additional support on offer, on our website.”