2 minute read
Richard Fuller MP
WORDS FROM
Richard Fuller, MP for North East Bedfordshire
Advertisement
Meeting with constituents at events and surgeries across North East Bedfordshire, the rising cost of fuel bills and the weekly grocery shop is frequently on many people’s minds, especially for those, like pensioners, on low and fixed incomes.
The end of Covid restrictions across the world and Putin’s murderous invasion of Ukraine resulted in a quadrupling of gas prices and sent oil prices rocketing too. The cost of energy feeds into almost everything else we buy as factories need to be powered and goods needs to be distributed.
The invasion of Ukraine has robbed the world of vital supplies of key grains and other foodstuffs. There are real risks of starvation in poorer countries and further increases in the price of the foods we buy must be expected.
The government recognises that many households need support to help deal with rising energy bills and is providing a package of support worth £37 billion.
This includes the Energy Bills Support Scheme that will credit all domestic electricity customers automatically with a £400 credit on their energy bills from October 2022 onwards. This is a grant, not a loan and will not need to be repaid. This support is in addition to the £150 Council Tax rebate for households in England in Council Tax bands A-D, which many households have already received.
More than 8 million households on means tested benefits will also receive a payment of £650 this year, made in two instalments – the first has been sent from July onwards and the second will be provided in the Autumn. And around six million people across the UK who receive disability benefits will be given a one-off payment of £150 from September.
Pensioner households that receive the Winter Fuel Payment, will also receive an extra £300 this year to help them cover the rising cost of energy 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.
The Government is also providing an extra £500 million of local support, via the Household Support Fund, which helps those in most need with payments towards the rising cost of food, energy, and water bills. This is administered by local councils and eligibility will be determined by them.
While the government cannot control global prices, nor eliminate all the hardship that this burst of inflation will bring, it is showing by its actions that it is committed to helping with the rising bills we all face.
A new calculator has also been launched to help understand what financial support people could be eligible for to help with the cost of living. To check, please visit: www.gov.uk/check-benefits-
