As the cost of living crisis continues to grip the nation, prices of certain items are set to rise again in April. Everything from council tax to food bills and insurance is likely to go up from next week.
UK inflation unexpectedly rose to 10.4 per cent in February - defying expectations that it would go down again following three months of decline.
The rate is up from the 10.1 per cent that was recorded the previous month in January, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. And now Reena Sewraz, Which? money expert, said: "Unfortunately, many of us will be braced for rising bills across energy, broadband and mobile, water and council tax in April.”
Read more: Why I found Sunday Times' Bristol entry on Best Places to Live guide offensive
Reacting to the hikes, one Brit said to Birmingham Live: "Even with cutting my use of heating to less than half the time I used to run it, my monthly costs are now almost as much as it used to cost me per quarter. When it goes up again (and of course it will never come down to anywhere near what it used to cost) I will try to manage without heat for as much as I can.
"Thank goodness Spring and Summer are on the way but how will we manage once the cold weather comes around again? I am just so fed up and depressed with it all, can't see the point in anything tbh. Already struggle to pay the council tax and another 5% is going to really affect my finances. Food is so expensive too, it all feels hopeless, feeling very low today."
Here is the full list of increases set for April.
Telecoms - £70 a year
Broadband, TV and mobile packages are rising - with many being hiked by 14 per cent. That works out at around £69 a year for anybody on a £40 a month contract.
Water bills - £31 a year
Water bills are set to rise by around 7.5% from April in England and Wales – or 5%in Scotland. That's a rise of £31 a year for those on typical bills, sadly.
Energy - £67 a month
From April, the £400 energy bill discount being supplied by the Government will come to an end. This means you'll no longer receive money off your bill each month - so how much you're paying will go up.
The £400 discount to household energy bills has been given through instalments of £66 and £67 each month since October. However, the Energy Price Guarantee will remain capped at £2,500.
Council tax - £75 a year
Council tax is another bill that will increase in April, with the majority of local authorities upping monthly payment by 5%. However, the increase will depend on where you live.
Postage - 15p
The April 2023 Royal Mail stamp price rises have just been announced. From the 3rd of April 2023, the price of a First Class stamp will increase by 15p to £1.10p, and the price of a Second Class stamp will increase by 7p to 75p.
Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail, said: “We appreciate that many businesses and households are facing a challenging economic environment and we are committed to keeping our prices affordable.
“We have to carefully balance our pricing against a continued decline in letter volumes and the increasing costs of delivering letters six days a week to an ever-growing number of addresses across the country.”
Prescriptions - 30p
The government confirmed: "This year we have increased the prescription charge by 30 pence from £9.35 to £9.65 for each medicine or appliance dispensed. The cost of prescription pre-payment certificates (PPCs) will also be increased: 3-month PPC increases by £1 to £31.25 and 12-month PPC increases by £3.50 to £111.60. The recently introduced HRT PPC will cost £19.30."
Benefits
The benefit cap will also rise in line with inflation. It is increasing nationally from £20,000 to £22,020 for families and from £13,400 to £14,753 for single households without children, while there are higher rates for those who live in Greater London.
If you receive welfare benefits such as Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment, Carer’s Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit or Jobseeker’s Allowance, your payments will rise in line with the 10.1% inflation rate.
State pension
The latest change announced was the reinstatement of the triple lock, which will come into effect in the new tax year – starting on 6 April, 2023. It means that the State Pension will rise in line with September’s inflation rate – 10.1% - which is the biggest ever increase to the State Pension.
READ NEXT
- Why the police helicopter was circling Bristol
- Woman spots 'ghost' lurking in empty Concorde cockpit at Bristol’s Aerospace Museum
- Buses ‘to get more priority’ over cars on four main Bristol roads
- Gloucester Road restaurant says it's 'time to call curtains'
- Bristol flooding live: Roads and footpaths underwater as rain batters city
