£130m Cost of Living Support Package Announced

Families and communities across Wales are being given immediate extra support to deal with the rising cost of living.

As winter approaches and the conflict in the Middle East continues, the coming months will be a challenging time for many.

In addition to a number of measures already in place the Welsh Government is announcing a £130m package to provide further support to those particularly affected by the cost of living.

The package includes the  £100 energy payment for households in council tax bands A – D,  and in addition to this the payment will be extended to all those in receipt of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme irrespective of band.

An additional £8m will be made available to local councils to extend the £100 payment to households not captured by other schemes, and who are facing financial hardship.  Full guidance on this scheme will be available for councils soon.

£5 million is being provided  to help towards off-grid fuel costs. A £250 payment will be made available to households eligible for Council Tax Reduction based on their incomes, and who are dependent on either heating oil or LPG.

  £7m is being made available to support bus operators with their high fuel costs, using the structure of an existing bus grant scheme.  This will help to avoid the loss of local bus services, important community transport services, and learner transport provision, as well as protecting passengers from fares increases.

The Claim What’s Yours campaign will be boosted to ensure more people know what they are entitled to and know where to go for help.

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equalities Sioned Williams said: “Supporting families with the cost of living is a key priority for this government.    We understand that this is a challenging time for many households across Wales and today I am announcing a further package of immediate help.

“In total this represents an additional investment of £130m, providing immediate relief for households this winter.  While we are taking firm action wherever we can, we need the UK Government to play its part.   

 “We will continue to press the UK Government to remove the benefit cap, increase Local Housing Allowance and introduce social tariffs.  Our joint calls with the Scottish Government makes it clear that these are needed to provide long term relief to households in need.

" This package represents a significant investment in Welsh communities and reflects our determination to stand alongside households during challenging times”