More than six million people claiming disability benefits will start to receive a £150 cost of living payment from today (June 20). The one-off payments will be made automatically by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) until July 4, although some people may receive the lump sum after that date.
However, despite the cash boost, Scope said the money “won’t touch the sides” of the additional costs faced by disabled people. The charity highlighted how some people have seen energy bills increase by £6,000 in the past year as a result of soaring global prices of wholesale gas.
Scope said the answer doesn’t lie with a series of one-off payments, it wants to see a “long-term solution” put in place by the UK Government along with a “discounted social energy tariff for disabled people”. A consultation is due to open this summer about a social energy tariff ahead of new plans to introduce new measures from next April.
