Cost of living payments to benefit nearly 10,000 Moray families this spring
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NEARLY 10,000 Moray families are set to receive a cost of living payment this spring.
A total of 9400 families will join 700,000 others on means-tested in Scotland in automatically receiving £301with over 600,000 people on disability benefits receiving a £150 payment this summer
The £301 payment is the first of five direct cost of living payments for the most vulnerable households, including pensioners and disabled people, with the total amount of support reaching up to £1350
After confirming the payment schedule for five cost of living payments through the 2023/24 financial year, he Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced in parliament more detail on the support.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride said: “These direct payments will help people right across the UK over this year and the start of the next, as we continue to provide consistent, targeted and substantial support for the most vulnerable.
“Our wider support package, including the Energy Price Guarantee, will ensure every household is being helped through this challenging period of high inflation, caused by Putin’s illegal war and the aftershocks of the pandemic.”
UK Government Minister for Scotland John Lamont commented: “Hundreds of thousands of people across Scotland can now be secure in the knowledge they will receive further substantial and consistent help with the cost of living this year.
“Building on the £1200 package of support that was delivered to Scottish households last year, this is more evidence of the UK government’s commitment to support the most vulnerable – low-income families, pensioners and those with disabilities – across Scotland and the whole United Kingdom.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt added: “High inflation, exacerbated by Putin’s illegal war, is hurting economies across the world and making people poorer.
“These payments are the next part of the significant support we are providing through this challenging time, with millions of vulnerable households receiving £900 directly into their bank accounts this financial year alongside additional help for pensioners and those with disabilities.
“This latest payment will provide some temporary relief, but the best thing we can do to help families and businesses is to stick to the plan to halve inflation this year.”
Exact payment windows and qualifying periods for eligibility will be announced in due course, but are designed to ensure a consistent support offer throughout the year. Payment windows will be broadly as follows: £301 – First 2023/24 cost of living payment during spring 2023; £150 – 2023 disability payment during summer 2023; £300 – second 2023/24 cost of living payment during autumn 2023; £300 – 2023 pensioner payment during winter 2023/4; £299 – third 2023/24 cost of living payment during spring 2024.
There are several benefits that could make claimants eligible for the £301 cost of living payment, including Universal Credit and tax credits, through which 5.4 million households across the UK are expected to qualify, and Pension Credit, through which 1.4 million pensioner households are expected to be paid.
Some 1.3 million will be eligible through legacy DWP benefits such as Jobseekers Allowance and Income Support, reaching a total of 8.1 million households.
Eligible individuals do not need to apply for payments, as they are made automatically. Those eligible for cost of living payments through tax credits, and no other means-tested benefits, will be paid by HMRC shortly after DWP payments are made.
