16,200 vulnerable and low-income households in Burnley and Padiham will receive the Government’s second Cost of Living payment worth £300 starting today [October 31, 2023]. The second instalment forms part of a record £94 billion cost of living support package rolled out by the Government to help struggling families.
Eight million households across the UK in receipt of eligible means-tested benefits, such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, or tax credits, will benefit from the second of three Cost of Living payments totalling £900 in 2023-24. These payments help low-income and vulnerable families affected by rising prices driven by Putin’s illegal war in Ukraine and the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This latest payment builds on the Cost of Living payments made last year worth up to £1,200, and form part of the Government’s record financial support for the most vulnerable, worth an average of £3,300 per household.
Commenting on the payment, Burnley and Padiham’s MP Antony Higginbotham said:
I know that households across our borough have faced rising costs, mainly due to energy prices which skyrocketed when Russia invaded Ukraine. That’s why I’ve been working with the Government to protect the most vulnerable with these cost-of-living support payments.
The next £300, which forms part of a total package worth £900 per family is cushioning the blow for over 16,000 families in Burnley and Padiham. And comes it comes on top of the wider work Government is doing to halve inflation, which is the best way to help everyone with the cost of living.
The cost of living payment will be made automatically so there is no need to apply and it will not count towards the benefit cap or impact on existing benefit awards.
Further support will also be made available for vulnerable households later this winter. Winter Fuel Payments have been boosted again this year with an additional £300 Pensioner Cost of Living payment.
In addition, nearly three million low-income households are eligible for a £150 rebate on their winter electricity bills through the Warm Home Discount, and the Cold Weather Payment is coming into effect from 1 November 2023 to provide eligible households an extra £25 a week when the temperature drops below zero degrees for more than seven days.
The Government is taking immediate steps to support hardworking families with the cost of living, while working to halve inflation and taking the long-term decisions that are in the best interests of the country.
Commenting, Mel Stride, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said:
Tackling inflation is the best way to boost people’s incomes, but as we work to halve it, we are protecting the most vulnerable households from high prices with this latest Cost of Living payment.
Thousands of Work Coaches based in Jobcentres across the country are on hand to help people find work or enhance their skills, and I encourage anyone wanting to strengthen their finances and unleash the benefits of work to contact their local Jobcentre to see what help is available.
