This TSB allowance runs from 1 April 2026 until 31 March 2027.
1. General
1.1. You are responsible for only using the allowance to provide your child with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), access to activities that also give you a short break from your caring responsibilities.
1.2. The allowance must not be used to purchase items, goods or services that do not provide leisure activities for your child and a short break for you.
1.3. The allowance must not be used to fund family activities, outings or holidays.
1.4. The allowance can be approved for up to 12 months, running from 1 April to 31 March every year. Allowance applications agreed during the year will be paid on a pro-rata basis.
1.5. Allowances agreed for a young person who will turn 18 years old during the year will be on a pro-rata basis up to their birthday.
1.6. Agreed allowances will be paid onto a pre-paid card and delivered by post to the address on the application.
1.7. You will not be able to make cash withdrawals from an ATM with your prepaid card. If this causes you any difficulty you will need to contact the short breaks team.
1.8. You can choose which activities you purchase for your child, as long as they are in line with 1.1 and 1.2 of the terms and conditions.
1.9. The allowance must not be used to pay for transporting your child to and from an activity. However, it can be used if transport forms part of the activity.
1.10. The allowance must be used by the end of the financial year, 31 March 2026. The council will recoup any unspent funds.
1.11. If more than one replacement card is required during the financial year (1 April to 31 March), the council reserves the right to charge the cardholder the cost of replacing the card. This will not exceed £5 per card.
1.12. If you do not provide any information requested in relation to your application within 14 days of the request being sent, it will be assumed that you no longer wish to proceed and your application will be treated as withdrawn.
2. Monitoring and record keeping
2.1. You are responsible for using the allowance appropriately, as set out in these terms and conditions.
2.2. Herefordshire Council will carry out monthly monitoring of card transactions, to ensure the allowance is being spent in line with these terms and conditions.
2.3. In exceptional circumstances, the council may authorise alternative access to funds. In these cases, you must provide proof of expenditure, such as receipts, or any other documentation that clearly shows the details of the spend.
2.4. You must keep all records of spending as in 2.3. The council may request to see these at any point during the funding year (1 April to 31 March) and up to 30 June.
2.5. Records may be disposed of after 30 June.
3. Inappropriate spend
3.1. If inappropriate spend identified, you will be contacted by email in the first instance and asked to provide details of the transactions in question.
3.2. Inappropriate use of the allowance may also result in temporary suspension of the card whilst further information is sought.
3.3. Failure to provide information as per 2.3 may result in suspension of the card.
3.4. If inappropriate spending is identified, you may be requested to repay these transaction amount/s back to the council.
3.5. If the council is unable to confirm with you the expenditure has been in accordance with these terms and conditions, the card will be suspended, and any future allowance may be provided using a different method.
4. How your information will be used
4.1. Herefordshire Council is registered under Data Protection Act 2018 for the purpose of the TSB Allowance Scheme. Any information held by the Council will be processed securely in compliance with our fraud prevention privacy notice.
4.2. In processing your application, your information will be shared with the following teams: All Age Commissioning, Social Care, Education, Early Years, and Finance teams and the pre-paid card provider. Further information relating to your rights under the Data Protection Act.
4.3. The personal information we have collected from you will be shared with fraud prevention agencies who will use it to prevent fraud and money-laundering. We will carry out a Know Your Customer (KYC) check to verify your identity.
4.4. Following the KYC check, you may be asked to provide proof of identity and address.
5. Contact details
Short Breaks – All Age Commissioning
Community Wellbeing Directorate
Plough Lane Offices
Hereford HR4 0LE
Telephone: 01432 260123
Email: shortbreaks@herefordshire.gov.uk
Please note: the Short Break number is staffed between 10am and 11.30am, Monday to Friday. If you call outside of these hours, you will be guided through our options menu, which may answer your questions. You can also check our website for answers. If you still need help, please leave a message, and someone from the team will get back to you.