Households across North West Norfolk and the country are struggling to cope with higher energy bills and other costs. That is why the government has put in place unprecedented support to help manage these costs particularly focused on those most in need. Please check what support you could get here.
Energy Price Guarantee
From 1 October 2022, the Energy Price Guarantee will reduce the unit cost of electricity and gas so that a typical household in Great Britain pays, on average, around £2,500 a year on their energy bill, for the next 2 years. Beware of scams – there is no need to apply and you will never be asked for bank details.
This will save the average household at least £1,000 a year based on current energy prices from October and is in addition to the £400 energy bills discount for all households.
Energy Bills Support Scheme one-off £400 payment:
- Households will get £400 of support with their energy bills in addition to the price guarantee
- Energy suppliers will deliver this support to households with a domestic electricity meter over six months from October. Direct debit and credit customers will have the money credited to their account, while customers with pre-payment meters will have the money applied to their meter or paid via a voucher.
- This support is in addition to the £150 Council Tax rebate for households in England in Council Tax bands A-D, which was announced in February, and which millions of households have already received.
£650 one-off Cost of Living Payment for those on means tested benefits:
- More than 8 million households on means tested benefits will receive a payment of £650 this year, made in two instalments. This includes all households receiving the following benefits:
- Universal Credit
- Income-based Jobseekers Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
- Income Support
- Working Tax Credit
- Child Tax Credit
- Pension Credit
- DWP will make the payment in two lump sums – the first from July, the second in the autumn. Payments from HMRC for those on tax credits only will follow shortly after each to avoid duplicate payments.
- This payment will be tax-free, will not count towards the benefit cap, and will not have any impact on existing benefit awards.
£300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment
- Pensioners are disproportionately impacted by higher energy costs, and many low-income pensioner households do not claim the means tested benefits they are entitled to.
- So pensioner households will receive an extra £300 this year to help them cover the rising cost of energy this winter.
- This additional one-off payment will go to the over 8 million pensioner households across the UK who receive the Winter Fuel Payment and will be paid on top of any other one-off support a pensioner household is entitled to, for example where they are on pension credit or receive disability benefits. Eligible households currently receive between £200 - £300, so the payment will represent at least double the support for this winter.
£150 Disability Cost of Living Payment
- Around six million people across the UK who receive the following disability benefits will receive a one-off payment of £150 in September:
- Disability Living Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Scottish Disability Benefits
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- War Pension Mobility Supplement
- For the many disability benefit recipients who receive means tested benefits, this £150 will come on top of the £650 they will receive separately.
£500m increase and extension of Household Support Fund
- To support people who need additional help, the Government is providing an extra £500 million of local support, via the Household Support Fund, which will be extended from this October to March 2023.
- The Household Support Fund helps those in most need with payments towards the rising cost of food, energy, and water bills.
- The government will issue additional guidance to Local Authorities to ensure support is targeted towards those most in need of support, including those not eligible for the Cost of Living Payments set out on 26 May 2022.
- This brings the total amount provided through the Household Support Fund to £1.5 billion since October 2021.
- The Household Support Fund is administered by local councils in England and further information will be available directly from them. Eligibility will be determined by individual councils.
- The Barnett formula provides a share of this funding to the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland so they can decide how to provide support.
