UK Govt’s cash support for low-income households

There will also be a separate 150 pounds for more than six million disabled people and 300 pounds for over eight million pensioners…reports Asian Lite News

Millions of low-income households in Britain will receive cost-of-living support from the government of up to £ 900 over the financial year, the country’s Department of Work and Pensions said on Tuesday.

The money will directly go to claimants’ bank accounts in three payments over the financial year, the department said in a statement.

The cash support was announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt in his Autumn statement along with a string of tax increases and tighter public spending. The government did not give details on the payment schedule at the time.

There will also be a separate 150 pounds for more than six million disabled people and 300 pounds for over eight million pensioners, the department said.

The latest support package follows a 1,200 pound cash support programme for low-income households last year as Britain struggles with a cost-of-living crisis amid a challenging economic environment.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Mel Stride said, “We are sticking by our promise to protect the most vulnerable and these payments, worth hundreds of pounds, will provide vital support next year for those on the lowest incomes. The government’s wider support package has already helped more than eight million families as we continue to deal with the global consequences of Putin’s illegal war and the aftershocks of the pandemic.”

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt added, “I know these are tough times for families across the UK who are struggling to meet rising food and energy costs, driven by the aftershocks of Covid and Putin’s war in Ukraine. That’s why we’re putting a further £900 into the pockets of over 8 million low income households next year. These payments are on top of above inflation increases to working-age benefits and the Energy Price Guarantee, which is insulating millions from even higher global gas prices. Tackling inflation is this government’s number one priority and is the only way to ease the strain of high prices, drive long term economic growth and improve living standards for everyone.”

If individuals are eligible they will be paid automatically, and there will be no need to apply. Claimants who are eligible for any of the Cost of Living Payments and receive tax credits, and no other means-tested benefits, will receive payment from HMRC shortly after DWP payments are issued.

These payments build on the Government’s extensive support package to help households tackle the globally rising cost of living stemming from the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

The Government’s Energy Price Guarantee continues to cap energy costs, saving the average household around £900 this winter and a further £500 in 2023/24. Benefits, including working age benefits and the State Pension, will also rise in line with inflation from April 2023, ensuring they increase by over 10%. April will also see the biggest ever cash rise to the National Living Wage, bringing it to £10.42 an hour, and a further year-long extension of the Household Support Fund in England and associated devolved nation funding worth £1 billion in total.

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