A package of urgent aid has been unveiled to tackle Britain’s cost of living crisis, with various payments for low-income families, pensioners and disabled people, as well as the extension of the welfare fund household support.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said he will not change benefit payment levels for this year but are likely to be significantly higher for the 2023/24 financial years. The Center for Social Justice (CSJ), a think tank founded by former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, had said benefits needed to be increased as they had received a 10 per cent increase in April 2022, rather than the 3.1% applied at the time, reports Birmingham Live.
The move would have meant an additional payment of £729 over the remainder of this financial year (2022/23). However, Sunak has instead opted for cash assistance aimed at specific groups, including people with disabilities – so what assistance will be available to weather the cost of living storm?
Read more: ‘One token’: Northumberland mum says Rishi Sunak’s £150 offer won’t help disabled people overcome energy crisis
The Chancellor explained: “People with disabilities also face additional costs in their daily lives, such as installing energy-intensive equipment at home or in the workplace. So, to help the six million people who receive non-means-tested disability benefits, from September we will send them a one-time supplementary disability payment worth £150.
“Many people with disabilities will also receive the £650 payment that I have already announced, bringing their total cost of living payment to £800.”
Who will get the £150?
Around six million people who receive the following disability benefits will receive a one-off payment of £150 in September:
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Attendance allowance
- Scottish invalidity benefits
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- Constant attendance allowance
- War pension mobility supplement
What other rules and eligibility criteria are there to get the money?
Government guidelines state that claimants must receive or have started a ultimately successful claim for one of the benefits listed above by May 25, 2022 to be eligible for the additional payment.
For many means-tested disability benefit recipients, that £150 will come on top of the £650 they will receive separately. The cash amount will be tax-free, will not count against the benefit cap and will have no impact on existing state support.
The government says it will make payments directly to eligible people across the country, so there is no need to apply. It will appear in the same bank or building society account to which normal benefit payments are deposited.
Read more: Rishi Sunak’s Cost of Living Package – who gets what and when?
Read more: North East reaction to Rishi Sunak’s support package to help households cope with cost of living crisis
What are activists saying?
Many of those receiving health and disability benefits also have mental health issues, with psychiatric disorders being the main condition documented on PIP claims.
Vicki Nash, head of policy, campaigns and public affairs at mental health charity Mind, released a statement on the new measures which read: “Today’s announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer of financial assistance to households across the country is welcome, although we remain concerned that those on the lowest incomes will continue to struggle.
“We are delighted to see the UK government acknowledging the extra costs disabled people face every day with a £150 grant to those applying for disability benefits, and the decision to provide a £650 grant. to eight million lowest-income households. It is also reassuring to hear the government commit to raising all benefits in line with inflation next year.
Read more:Disabled people in the North East will ‘suffer and die’ as prices continue to rise
Read more: North East reacts as energy price cap set to rise from £830 to £2,800 in October
“Unfortunately, much of this support will be too little and too late to prevent many people from facing hardship. At Mind, we have seen a 30% increase over the same period last number of people contacting our helplines about the difficulties they have encountered with their personal finances and debts.
“Many of our callers tell us they are on the brink with their finances, and this is having a direct impact on their mental health. These people need more than just token gestures of grants that come somewhere down the line. With the energy price cap due to rise by a further £800 later this year and the cost of living continuing to soar, much of the temporary support available to people will quickly be consumed.
“There are also many months between now and when some of the aid will reach those in need – how families who have been hit twice by income cuts in the past year…
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Source: www.chroniclelive.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-05-28 21:06:37
