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Cost of living: Preston, Wyre and South Ribble residents to receive £324 payments from today

Posted on - 8th November, 2022 - 11:22am | Author - | Posted in - Fylde News, Politics, Preston News, Ribble Valley News, South Ribble News, Wyre News
Pic: ScouserUK/Pixabay

Nearly 34,000 residents eligible for means-tested benefits across Preston, Wyre and South Ribble will receive a £324 cost of living payment from today.

From 8 November, the payments will start to arrive in 18,400 bank accounts in the Preston constituency, 6,900 in Wyre and Preston North, and 8,600 in South Ribble, totalling 33,900 households. The funding will impact almost one in four families across the UK – over eight million homes in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

The Department for Work and Pensions will automatically pay those who claimed means-tested benefits during the eligibility period as part of £1,200 worth of ‘direct help for households’. DWP claimants will receive their second payment by 23 November, and eligible tax credit claimants on no other means-tested benefits will receive it between 23 and 30 November, with payments automatically made to everyone entitled and no need for people to apply.

Read more: Cost of living: 10,700 residents to receive Preston City Council energy rebate

Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, said: “We understand that people are struggling, and that is why we’ve consistently acted to ensure millions of low-income families are supported. We will continue to act with compassion as we navigate challenging global economic circumstances.

“As part of a wider £37 billion package of support, this latest £324 payment will help the most vulnerable people in our society worrying about their finances through the winter months.”

The payment reference on DWP recipients’ bank accounts will be their national insurance number, followed by ‘DWP COL’. For HMRC recipients, the payment reference will be ‘HMRC COLS’.

Read more: Cost of living support being offered by Preston City Council

The £1,200 support package contains £400 for energy bills paid monthly to all domestic energy customers between now and March 2023. It also includes a £150 council tax rebate for 85 per cent of all UK households and the previous £326 cost of living payment made by the DWP in July and HMRC in September.

In addition, nearly one in ten people received the £150 disability payment in September. And a £300 addition to winter fuel payments will go to over eight million pensioner households over the winter.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt added: “Prices are rising across the world as we manage the aftershock of Covid-19 and Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. We recognise that families back home are struggling, which is why we’ve taken decisive action to hold down energy bills this winter and provided hundreds of pounds of cash support for each vulnerable household.

“As part of that support, over eight million vulnerable households – almost a quarter of families in the UK – will receive a second cost of living payment worth £324 in their bank account from today. While we can’t completely protect people from rising prices, my priority at the Autumn Statement will be to protect the poorest in society as we take the tough decisions necessary to fix our public finances.”

Read more: Preston residents urged to access Cost of Living information hub

Those eligible to receive the second cost of living payment from today include people on:

  • Universal Credit
  • Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
  • Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
  • Income Support
  • Pension Credit

Claimants must have been claiming and entitled to payment between 26 August and 25 September 2022, with the exception of pensioner households, which may be able to have a new Pension Credit claim backdated.

Read more: Let’s Grow Preston: The grassroots charity feeding the city’s hungry residents

They have until 18 December to submit a valid claim for Pension Credit, which could entitle them to the £324 payment. Anyone can check their eligibility for Pension Credit using the online calculator or by calling the freephone claim line on 0800 99 1234.

Those not on a qualifying DWP benefit may still be eligible for the £324 payment, as HMRC make payments to over a million people who receive Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit and no other benefits. The government will pay them between 23 and 30 November 2022, and customers do not need to contact the government or apply for the payment at any stage.

The £324 payment and the overall £1,200 package are in addition to ‘wide-ranging government support’ with the cost of living this winter, including an extension to the Household Support Fund, which is providing an extra £421 million between October and March to help vulnerable people with essentials.

The government also said that The Energy Price Guarantee ensured people across the country pay significantly less for their energy bills, with a typical household saving around £700 this winter.

For more information, visit – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/324-payment



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