The Government is starting to pay the first half of the £650 cost of living payments this week to millions of people on Universal Credit and other benefits. They will get £326 to help their household finances as bills rise during soaring inflation.
This first payment will go to 8.4 million low-income households from Thursday (July 14) and a second payment of £324 will be made in the autumn. The payments come amid warnings that energy bills could hit £3,300 by October and at a time when petrol and food costs are rocketing.
According to recent Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures covering adults in Britain between late June and early July, around nine in 10 (91%) said their living costs had increased over the previous month.
