The first of three cost of living payments will start to be paid from April 25 for those on means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit, the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced.
The £301 is the first of three instalments of the £900 DWP support package announced by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt during November’s Autumn Statement, with the other two due later this year and early next.
Around 395,000 eligible people in the North East should receive the money, with the first batch due to arrive between Tuesday, April 25 and Wednesday, May 17, according to the DWP. A spokesperson said that he was unable to narrow down the exact payment dates within the three-week window but confirmed that the two previous payments of £326 and £324 last year were mostly made within the first week and a half after the first possible date.
