Scotland, Wales and NI news: page 2
- November 2024
Winter Heating Payment replaces Cold Weather Payment in Scotland
Scotland's Winter Heating Payment has replaced the DWP Cold Weather Payment, paying £58.75 automatically to people on qualifying low-income benefits, with payments expected each February.
- October 2024
Climate Adaptation Strategy for Wales published
The Welsh Government published its Climate Adaptation Strategy for Wales in October 2024, setting out its commitment to responding to the changing climate, including equitable insurance coverage for households and businesses.
- June 2024
Bankruptcy and Diligence (Scotland) Bill completes Scottish Parliament passage
The Bankruptcy and Diligence (Scotland) Bill completed its passage through the Scottish Parliament on 6 June 2024, requiring Scottish Ministers to create a moratorium on debt recovery against people with a mental illness.
- March 2024
Scottish tenant protection measures expired
Scotland's temporary rent cap and eviction moratorium, introduced in 2022 under the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act, ended on 31 March 2024, with rent adjudication modified for one year afterwards.
- February 2024
Best Start Foods amendment regulations come into force in Scotland
Scottish regulations amending Best Start Foods came into force on 26 February 2024, setting the basic weekly rate at £4.95 and widening eligibility to partners, dependants and children under three.
- November 2023
Consumer Scotland publishes briefing on winter energy bill support options
Consumer Scotland has published a briefing on delivering household energy bill support this winter, setting out options for the Chancellor to consider at the Autumn Statement.
Welsh council leaders commit to accredited enforcement firms only
All council leaders in Wales have committed to using only accredited enforcement firms to collect Council Tax, making Wales the first UK nation to do so, according to the Welsh Government.
- October 2023
Council tax in Scotland frozen until April 2025
First Minister Humza Yousaf has announced that council tax in Scotland will be frozen at current levels until April 2025, keeping rates unchanged for around 2.5 million households in 2024-25.
- August 2023
Consumer Council research finds Northern Ireland lost 27% of bank branches in under three years
The Consumer Council has found that Northern Ireland lost 27% of its bank branch network in under three years, with vulnerable consumers and rural areas most affected.
- June 2023
Words in regulation 7(1) substituted by the Social Security, Universal Credit and State Pension (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2023
Northern Ireland regulations substituted wording in regulation 7(1) of the 2016 Universal Credit transitional rules with effect from 29 June 2023, alongside matching changes to claims and payments rules.
Access to Banking Services in Northern Ireland published by CCNI
The Consumer Council Northern Ireland published an analysis of bank closures across Northern Ireland from 2020 to early 2023, showing 21% of consumers had seen their local bank close.
Law Centre NI publishes Cost of Living Support Payments 2023-2024 poster
The Law Centre NI has published a poster setting out the amounts, qualifying benefits and dates for the 2023-2024 cost of living support payments, including three means-tested payments and a pensioner payment.
- April 2023
Most Scottish councils raise council tax bills by at least 5% for 2023-24
Most Scottish councils raised council tax by at least 5% for 2023-24, with Orkney Islands up 10%, and ministers have proposed letting councils double bills on second homes from April 2024.
- March 2023
Welsh Government publishes evaluation of removing imprisonment sanction for Council Tax non-payment in Wales
Welsh Government research published on 8 March 2023 finds higher Council Tax collection rates in Wales than England and Scotland after the imprisonment sanction for non-payment was removed.
- February 2023
Low Income Winter Heating Assistance payments begin in Scotland
Scotland has begun paying the new Low Income Winter Heating Assistance benefit, one of a series of benefit changes scheduled across the UK during 2023.
- January 2023
Scottish Government publishes summary of responses to statutory debt solutions and diligence policy review consultation
The Scottish Government has published responses to its review of statutory debt solutions and diligence, showing majority support for most proposals but weaker backing for the Standard Financial Statement and full surplus income in bankruptcy.
£600 energy support payments to begin for Northern Ireland households in January 2023
Northern Ireland households will start receiving a one-off £600 energy support payment in January 2023, combining £400 under the Energy Bills Support Scheme NI and £200 under the Alternative Fuel Payment.
Consumer Council publishes Access to Banking research
The Consumer Council's Access to Banking Services research found 52 Northern Ireland bank branches closed between May 2020 and January 2023, 27% of the network, figures later cited by a Stormont committee.
- December 2022
Rent not payable for unfit homes in Wales from 1 December 2022
From 1 December 2022 tenants in Wales under standard occupation contracts may not have to pay rent for any period when the property is unfit for human habitation, under rules that also changed how tenancies are made.
- November 2022
Key statistics note published for Cost of Living Bill
The Scottish Government has published key statistics on housing costs, financial vulnerability and fuel poverty that underpinned the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) Scotland Bill introduced on 3 October 2022.
Emergency Budget Review published
The Scottish Government published an Emergency Budget Review on 2 November 2022, identifying around £35 million for cost of living initiatives as inflation peaked at 11.1% in October 2022.
Energy Bills Support Scheme £400 credit begins in Northern Ireland
Households in Northern Ireland began receiving the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme credit from November 2022, paid automatically through electricity suppliers in six monthly instalments.
Scotland excluded from the scheme
A 2022 order inserted a fifth condition into the cold weather payment rules so that a claimant's home must be in England or Wales, taking Scotland out of the scheme.
- October 2022
Starting threshold for main residential LTT rises to £225,000 in Wales
The Welsh Government raised the starting threshold for main residential Land Transaction Tax in Wales from £180,000 to £225,000 on 10 October 2022, with the first band from £225,000 to £400,000 taxed at 6%.
Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) Scotland Bill introduced
The Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) Scotland Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament on 3 October 2022, alongside official statistics on housing costs, fuel poverty and financial vulnerability in Scotland's rented sectors.
- September 2022
Welsh Government announces changes to main residential LTT rates and bands
The Welsh Government announced on 27 September 2022 that main residential rates of Land Transaction Tax would change on 10 October 2022, raising the starting threshold from £180,000 to £225,000.
New SDLT rates introduced on 23 September 2022
HMRC added worked examples to its leasehold Stamp Duty Land Tax guidance on 23 September 2022, showing the residential rates that took effect in England that day.
Scottish Ministers make council tax reduction and discount amendment regulations
Scottish Ministers have laid amending regulations for council tax reduction and council tax discounts in Scotland, changing how non-dependants, disability premiums and cost of living payments are treated.
Scotland introduces temporary private rent freeze and eviction ban
The Scottish Government introduced a temporary rent cap and eviction ban for most tenants from 6 September 2022, initially running until at least 31 March 2023.
Emergency Budget Review published
The Scottish Government published an emergency budget review in September 2022 after high inflation eroded the value of the Scottish Budget, with the Finance Minister estimating it was worth around £1.7 billion less than in December 2021.