Struggling households receive first Cost of Living payments
143,700 FAMILIES WILL SEE EXTRA £326 IN THEIR BANK ACCOUNTS BY JULY 31
HARD-UP families across Nottinghamshire will receive their first Cost of Living payment over the next fortnight.
The £326 started to be paid into banks yesterday, and will have been received by 143,700 households by July 31 in a bid to help people with the rising cost of food and energy bills.
Around one in four families in the UK will be getting the support this month, ahead of the second payment of £324 in the autumn.
Households entitled to the payment are those who receive Universal Credit, income-based Jobseekers’ Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, as well as those on Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Pension Credit.
The payment is tax free and does not affect any existing benefit awards.
In the East Midlands, 551,000 families get the Cost of Living Payment, which is seve per cent of all national payments. In Nottingham city, 55,400 families will get help.
Nottingham North sees the highest number of eligible families in Nottingham, with 21,900 receiving the payment. Nottingham East has 19,600 eligible families for the support, and Nottingham South has 13,900.
In the wider county, 88,300 families will be getting a Cost of Living Payment.
Mansfield has the highest number of eligible families, with 15,300 getting the fund, followed by Ashfield with 14,300.
Bassetlaw sees 12,800 families getting help, and 11,200 families in Sherwood. 10,400 families in Gedling will get support, as will 9,500 in Newark.
There are 8,500 families in Broxtowe and 6,300 in Rushcliffe who will be paid the Cost of Living money.
Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey said yesterday: “Our help for households will begin landing in bank accounts today as we make sure those on the lowest incomes get the support they need in the face of rising costs.
“This first instalment of £326 should reach all eligible low-income households by the end of July.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Nadhim Zahawi, said: “It’s great that millions of the families who are most in need are starting to receive their Cost of Living Payments, which I know will be a massive help for people who are struggling.
“Alongside tax cuts, changes to Universal Credit and the Household Support Fund, these payments are a vital part of our £37 billion support package to help people deal with rising prices.”
Households who are eligible because they receive tax credits and no other eligible benefits will receive their first instalment from HMRC in the autumn, and the second instalment in the winter.
In addition to the £650 Cost of Living Payment, all domestic energy customers in the UK will receive a £400 grant to help with energy bills, and those in council tax bands A-D in England will get an extra £150, which has already been sent to many households.