Getting Started news: page 2
- November 2022
Scottish Child Payment set at £28.20 per week for children under 16
The Scottish Child Payment was extended to children aged 6 to 15 on 14 November 2022, with the weekly rate set at £28.20 per child under 16 and paid every four weeks.
Amendment regulations extend Scottish Child Payment to children aged 6-15
Amendment regulations in force from November 2022 extended the Scottish Child Payment to children aged 6 to 15, and the weekly rate rose to £25 per eligible child.
Scotland to replace Cold Weather Payments with Low Income Winter Heating Assistance
Scotland is replacing the Cold Weather Payment from the winter of 2022 with a new Low Income Winter Heating Assistance, paying £50 to eligible households in February 2023.
- October 2022
Scottish Child Payment to rise to £25 a week and extend to children aged 6 to 15
Scottish ministers have set out regulations to extend Scottish Child Payment to children aged 6 to 15 and raise it to £25 a week for all eligible children, with other changes to Best Start grants and foods.
Energy Bills Support Scheme to provide £200 off energy bills
Every domestic electricity customer in Great Britain will receive a £200 credit on their energy bill from October 2022 under the Energy Bills Support Scheme, with the money recovered through later bill instalments.
- September 2022
Welsh Government Fuel Support Scheme 2022-23 launches with wider eligibility
The Welsh Government's Fuel Support Scheme opened on 26 September 2022 with wider eligibility, part of £1.6 billion of support, as its own paper set out fuel poverty and debt pressures in Wales.
- August 2022
Labour announces £29 billion energy bills freeze plan
Sir Keir Starmer announced a Labour plan on 14 August to freeze domestic energy bills at the April 2022 price cap until the end of March 2023, at a stated cost of £29 billion.
- July 2022
Adult Disability Payment extended to the whole of Scotland
Adult Disability Payment, Scotland's replacement for Personal Independence Payment, opened to new applicants across all of Scotland on 29 August 2022 after a phased rollout from March 2022.
- April 2022
Amendments to Best Start Grant, Best Start Foods and Scottish Child Payment regulations laid
Scottish ministers have laid amending regulations changing child responsibility, kinship carer definitions, automatic awards and payment timing across Best Start Grant, Best Start Foods and Scottish Child Payment.
Cold weather payments responsibility transferred to the Scottish Government
Responsibility for cold weather payments in Scotland moved to the Scottish Government at the start of 2022-23, the Office for Budget Responsibility has confirmed in its latest welfare report.
Scottish low income benefits uprated by 6% in April 2022
Scottish low income benefits rose by 6% in April 2022 while most reserved benefits rose by 3.1%, a gap the Scottish government later cited in its analysis of the cost of living crisis.
- March 2022
Disability Assistance for Working Age People (Scotland) Regulations 2022 come into force
Regulations establishing Adult Disability Payment for working age people in Scotland came into force on 21 March 2022, setting out eligibility rules, components and rates for the devolved benefit.
- February 2022
Wales announces £150 council tax rebates
Welsh finance minister Rebecca Evans has announced £150 council tax rebates for households in bands A to D and those in the council tax reduction scheme, to be paid as soon as possible.
Scotland announces £150 council tax rebate for 1.85m households
Scotland's finance secretary Kate Forbes announced on 10 February 2022 that 73% of Scottish households, about 1.85 million, will receive a £150 council tax rebate in April 2022.
Chancellor announces energy support package in February
The Chancellor's February energy support package offsets about half of April's bill increase for most households, but analysis finds five million English households still face fuel stress.
Welsh Government announces £150 Winter Fuel Payment and £25m Discretionary Fund
The Welsh Government has announced a £150 payment for households in council tax bands A to D and a £25m Discretionary Fund for local authorities, alongside a doubled Winter Fuel Support Scheme payment.
Winter Fuel Support Scheme Payment doubled to £200
The Welsh Government has doubled its Winter Fuel Support Scheme Payment to £200, the Bevan Foundation reported on 24 February 2022, as energy bills rise and more Welsh households are expected to fall into fuel poverty.