Sunak due to announce new financial measures, at 11am today.

The reinstatement of the pensioner's triple lock starts about mid April 2023.

Whitewavemark2

Well certainly the £400 which will amount to millions and millions, all managed by their fund managers to make even more profit.

You can see I’m very annoyed about this?

The uplift in UC will go on the rising cost of food I guess.

When do the pensioners get the rise in the triple lock?

A lot of it will go into to the energy company profits which is why they have had a Windfall Tax, however they can avoid that if they invest in fossil fuel development in the UK.

That will increase the self sufficiency for UK energy, a very useful investment for our future.

The worst of this "help" that it is yet another "Crisis" measure. It is therefore, a pretty blunt instrument.

Having started to read the information on the Fuel Poverty Action Group site, I would hope the Labour now push for the Standing Charge to carry with it a minimum amount of energy. It cannot be right that the poorest, having turned everything off, still have to pay this charge and get nothing. An amount to keep a light on, some heating, a fridge and an oven a couple of times a week would make sense. The less the poor have, the less possible it is to make the best decisions.

The LP should also be asking why you pay less when you buy more energy. It is now time to turn this on its head. This would appeal to the UK's own "Teal" voters.

Well certainly the £400 which will amount to millions and millions, all managed by their fund managers to make even more profit.

You can see I’m very annoyed about this?

The uplift in UC will go on the rising cost of food I guess.

When do the pensioners get the rise in the triple lock?

That's what I mean MaizieD. I'm going to think about it while I do the hoovering

Also, I'm sure that I read somewhere that the windfall tax will take about £5billion, whereas the cost of the treasury 'help' will be £15 billion., most of it going straight back to the energy companies.

Won't that just increase the fossil fuel companies' profits? Or is my logic failing?

MaizieD

volver

I haven't worked out the numbers so this might not be right, but...

There's a windfall tax on big oil and gas profits, which is being given to us in the way of a discount off fuel bills, which will go back to the oil and gas firms.

So they get the money anyway. Is it just me?

No, it's not just you, volver. I pointed that out yesterday.

It doesn't give the poorest families any more to spend on food and other basics, either. It just stops them going into even more debt. They wouldn't have had that £400 anyway. They will, IMO, still struggle.'

Yep

People always know how to best spend their own money.

volver

I haven't worked out the numbers so this might not be right, but...

There's a windfall tax on big oil and gas profits, which is being given to us in the way of a discount off fuel bills, which will go back to the oil and gas firms.

So they get the money anyway. Is it just me?

No, it's not just you, volver. I pointed that out yesterday.

It doesn't give the poorest families any more to spend on food and other basics, either. It just stops them going into even more debt. They wouldn't have had that £400 anyway. They will, IMO, still struggle.'

Whitewavemark2

Germanshepherdsmum

As I said wwm, it means the money is spent on energy bills. Otherwise some would spend it on other things and freeze next winter.

Rory Stewart would not agree. He belongs to a charity that gives hard cash to the poor, as it is found that they know better than any charity exactly what they need. He recognises that there is a risk that a tiny proportion may fritter it away, but he says it is a minor irritant when compared to the absolute good the poor can achieve with the money they are given.

The Vicars Relief Fund (part of the St-Martins-in-the-Fields charity) does exactly this Whitewave. They make small donations for emergency help. There are stories on their Website. I've always felt this did good work.

For the disability benefit recipients this will be paid in September. If they are also eligible for the £650 low income payment this will be paid separately.

The eligible benefits for the £150 are: Disability Living Allowance; Personal Independence Payment; Attendance Allowance; Scottish Disability Benefits; Armed Forces Independence Payment; Constant Attendance Allowance; or the War Pension Mobility Supplement.

volver

But the windfall tax is on profits already earned.

(I'm not being contrary, I just don't get it.)

Yep

All eligible pensioner households will receive the one off £300 payment. For most this will be directly into the account that receives their State Pension.

To be eligible for the first of the two instalments, the £650 (not £600!) is going to be paid to all those on universal credit; income-based jobseekers allowance; income-related employment and support allowance; income support; working tax credit; child tax credit; and pension credit, including those who have begun a claim which is later successful on or before May 25, 2022

More information about the second tranche of this and about when you have to have claimed is to be made available later in the year. However, if you know someone who should be claiming Pension Credit then please encourage them to do it now. They may then, at least, get the second half of this.

Can people check the facts of these payments before they post. Misinformation may lead to even greater anxiety for some members.

Mollie it quite difficult to unpack what you are asking.

You can find what is being paid to whom and how, here.

I imagine we all know that everyone, rich, poor, in need or not, but unjudged by the rest of us, will get the £400. It replaces the original "loan not a loan" of £200. I cannot find details as to whether the £400 also replaces the original WHD (Warm Home Discount) of £140 that currently goes on the accounts of people on the basis of fuel poverty.

This will be paid in the same way that the WHD was applied, on to your energy account.

Yes it is. But if great swathes of people didn’t heat their houses next winter their revenues would dip somewhat then. And keeping their profits up assists in imposing another levy next year if necessary as well as reducing their ability to refuse to cut back on the development of greener energy.

But the windfall tax is on profits already earned.

(I'm not being contrary, I just don't get it.)

They may not otherwise have received so much, with people economising on fuel.

I haven't worked out the numbers so this might not be right, but...

There's a windfall tax on big oil and gas profits, which is being given to us in the way of a discount off fuel bills, which will go back to the oil and gas firms.

So they get the money anyway. Is it just me?

I should say the increased charges.

I’m very happy with the measures and pleased some of the charges will be off set.

I would certainly support renationalisation of power, water and railways but the cost would be phenomenal. Simply not affordable.

May be, GSM, but this government is driven by the far right who are championing deregulation and unfettered markets. They're not interested in climate change and green energy.

We should renationalise the energy industry so that we are not in hock to political ideology or the demands of share holders for dividends.

I suspect the government will have some bargaining power there.

Germanshepherdsmum

Giving it via their energy accounts is the only way to ensure that it is spent on energy. And if it also benefits the energy companies don’t you think it’s also a means of making it more likely that the new tax on profits might be repeated in subsequent years? Fewer objections? Remember also that we want these companies to invest in greener energy. No point in squeezing them till the pips squeak.

Personally I would like the government to be investing in green energy and not to be dependent on the whims of the fossil fuel companies.