Government announces cost of living support package

The Government has set out measures to address the rising cost of living. One-off payments will be given to the most vulnerable: the elderly, those with disabilities, and those with the lowest incomes.

• All households will receive a £400 discount on energy bills from September 2022. This will replace the £200 repayable discount on energy bills announced earlier this year and will not have to be repaid.
• Eight million of the lowest income families will also get a one-off payment of £650 (paid in two instalments in summer and autumn).
• In addition, there will be a one-off cost of living payment of £150 to people who receive non-means tested disability payments, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA, for under 16s).
• All pensioners will receive a one-off cost of living payment of £300.

People may receive some or all of these payments, depending on which they are eligible for.

“The measures announced today may go a some of the way to helping some people but it is simply not enough for people with kidney failure; particularly for people who rely on medical treatment at home such as people on home dialysis, who still do not receive the full, fair and timely reimbursements they are eligible for," said Kidney Care UK's Policy Director Fiona Loud.

"In a situation where all your costs are going up it is no good to have a system which pays back some of the costs, to some of the people, some of the time. We need to see urgent action on this because nobody should feel like they are being priced out of existence by the rising costs of living.”