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

Sunak has confirmed that the pensions triple lock will be reinstated next year and benefits will be uprated by whatever the inflation rate is this coming September. This means most of us on here will get a substantial rise next April in addition to all the one-off measures.

No, it doesn't Saetana. If I believed it did I would have to believe they had kept their election promise which simply said "We will keep the triple lock." They didn't, did they?

The Warm Home Discount is a separate issue - this has been increased to £150 and has to be applied for through your energy company, applications usually open in October.

They have said it will increase Saetana. Again, I won't hold my breath.

If you are on Pension Credit, you are in the "core" group and it remains the case that you do not have to apply.

However, if the changes happen as they have said they will, from July, this payment will increase to £150. However, only those with high energy costs who claim a means-tested benefit will be eligible under the changes. Those with disabilities who only claim personal independence payments, attendance allowance or disability living allowance, which are not means-tested, will no longer get the warm home discount - affecting 290,000 existing claimants. To keep getting the rebate, you'll need to have high energy bills AND be eligible for one of the qualifying means-tested benefits. [Source: Money Saving Expert]

They have said it is intended the Warm Home Discount will go to more people with high energy bills which is a good thing. However, others who have received it in the past, may not get it. All this makes the benefits system yet more difficult to negotiate and will mean those who are depressed, anxious, don't have access to the internet, etc., may well just give up.

There is a useful chart here showing the Before July 2022 and After July 2022 position.

I think they will (for electoral purposes) have to stick to the promise of updating pensions, and certain other benefits, by September's inflation rate, from next April.

However, I'm sure they will find a way of clawing it back in other ways.?

DaisyAnneSun 29-May-22 23:43:56
...To keep getting the rebate, you'll need to have high energy bills AND be eligible for one of the qualifying means-tested benefits. [Source: Money Saving Expert], ...

...They have said it is intended the Warm Home Discount will go to more people with high energy bills which is a good thing. However, others who have received it in the past, may not get it...

That is very interesting, DaisyAnne.

So, basically, if I understand correctly, there might lead to the bizarre situation where some of the poorest, who have had no choice but to cut their energy usage down to the bare bones since energy prices rocketed, who have not dared to heat their homes or use their ovens, and whose bills are now relatively low because of that, could actually find themselves penalised for their sacrifice?

I'm thinking of the woman who rides the bus all day to keep warm. She and others like her might no longer be spending a big enough percentage of their income on energy (if that is how they will calculate it) to be eligible!

So, basically, if I understand correctly, there might lead to the bizarre situation where some of the poorest, who have had no choice but to cut their energy usage down to the bare bones since energy prices rocketed, who have not dared to heat their homes or use their ovens, and whose bills are now relatively low because of that, could actually find themselves penalised for their sacrifice?

That does appear to be the case OldnProud. The others who will suffer a great deal will be those who just don't fit this even more complicated test - those who are just above it. I am trying not to get upset but I do believe people will die.

Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support are also means tested benefits but are not mentioned in the list.

OldnProud, if the lady riding the buses is on Pension Credit, this group will still get the £150 automatically.

I wish I could think of a campaign where we could encourage everyone to check whether they should be getting benefits or not. A sort of "I checked for benefits" shout. Or even "I got three friends to check for benefits".

It looked like we were all winners, didn't it, biglouis. Yet again the losers only show up later and they are those suffering the most.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Housing Benefit definitely was on the list. I am a little concerned about the "high bills" bit - frankly everyone is going to have high bills with the energy price cap due to increase by around £800 in October. Not sure how they are going to quantify that - I live alone in a one bedroom flat so my bills are clearly not as high as someone in a three bedroom house, but they are high for my circumstances. Sounds like an unnecessary complication for a scheme that has worked reasonably well in recent years.

Under the 10% definition of fuel poverty, households are considered fuel poor if: They have to spend more than 10% of their income* on maintaining an adequate level of warmth.

*income is net income after tax and NI deductions, includes income from benefits and takes account of council tax payments.
(cse.org.uk) More can be found here