Cost of Living payment latest: Six million Brits to get £150 from NEXT WEEK; plus how to save money & reduce bills

The Queen appointed Liz Truss prime minister two days before the monarch’s death, and though it’s been reported the nations are in mourning, many more are concerned about how they’ll manage their heating this winter.

The new prime minister held a Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons specifically to talk about the Cost of Living Crisis, during which she said there would be a cap at £2,500 per year per household.

The amount is still substantially higher than what most households are accustomed to paying.

Here are the cheapest supermarkets in the UK

Prices are going up, so finding the most affordable place to do your weekly shop is crucial.

Consumer champion Which? conducted analysis of supermarket prices in July.

According to the organisation, for smaller shops of 47 items, Aldi comes out as the clear winner.

But if you are looking to do a big shop, 152 items, Asda is the way to go.

A coronation at a time when people can’t eat

Across the nation people are struggling to find the cash to survive.

For many, the choice is whether to eat or whether to heat their homes.

According to the ONS website the consumer prices index increased by 10.1% in the 12 month period leading to July 2022.

Due to the death of the Queen, Prince Charles has become King Charles III, meaning a coronation will son take place though a date for it is yet be announced.

How will the most deprived areas of the UK survive this winter? (2/2)

Harehills is one of the most deprived places in the UK.

The Labour councillor in the Harehills area, Salma Arif, spoke about what the area will experience this winter and what to expect.

She said: “If I’m being really honest, it petrifies me. I’m terrified of what is to come – it’s just going to be unprecedented.”

She explained that notonly do people already queue for hours outside food banks, she’d recently spoken to a car dealer who said people were already selling their cars to make sure they had moneyto pay their bills.

One person fearing the worst is Michelle Thompson, who is on universal credit and needs to keep warm due to COPD and severe asthma.

Thompson is on a prepayment electric meter, which are known to be more expensive and are more commonly found in properties rented by people who are financially insecure. “I just put £25 in and it didn’t even last me a week,” she said.

“I don’t even have a lot of stuff on, it’s just running out so much. It’s getting really bad – I don’t know what I’ll do.”

Thompson lives in a a redbrick property in Harehills that is built in such high-density that it results in levels of cold and damp that caused the majority of them to be pulled down in the 1950s.

How will the most deprived areas of the UK survive this winter? (1/2)

Harehills is one of the most deprived places in the UK.

Meeting Point Café is a place in Harehills, Leeds which provided for those who have very little.

The prices of products at the café are based on what the local people can afford rather than what the national price of products are.

Pauline Burrows runs the café, which is subsidised by the Methodist church.

She explained: “We have people who are sleeping on streets waiting for us at seven o’clock when we open and when wintertime comes they’re going to need something warm to eat.”

Talking about what the winter willbring to the people that rely onthe café, she said: “It’s tragic.”

“I think people are going to either starve to death or freeze to death.”

UK will hit a recession

In the wake of COVID, there was hope that despite the ‘death of the high street’ the UK economy would bounce back.

There was an idea that the economy wouldn’t suffer too much as a result of the COVID pandemic as people would eat out and shop more.

The Commonwealth Games, which was held in Birmingham this year, and the Women’s Euros which saw the Lionesses take home the trophy, were supposed to boost the economy as well.

But with the cost of living crisis continuing, it seems people are less likely to spend which will likely cause a recession.

Will Liz Truss’s low-tax plan work?

The idea of the low-tax plan is that people will have more money in their accounts.

During an interview with the BBC, Liz Truss explained why she wants the UK to have a low-income economy: “The people at the top of the income distribution pay more tax so inevitably when you cut taxes you tend to benefit people who are more likely to pay tax.

“What I am about is about growing the economy and growing the economy benefits for everybody.”

For this to make a significant difference to the economy, people need to be encouraged to spend the extra cash as a result of the tax cut. But given the state of food and fuel, it’s unlikely that any change will happen and quickly as we need it to.

Curry price set to soar

The price of a curry could hit £30 amid the cost-of-living ­crisis, a business leader has warned.

And industry leaders fear it could threaten the closure of hundreds of Indian restaurants.

Shale Ahmed, 41, said: “Business owners have seen their shopping bills go up around 40 per cent.

“The cost of oil has gone from £17 for 20 litres to £44.

“And restaurants go through about 100 litres a week.

“If you charge customers ac­c­ordingly, a curry would have to cost between £25 to £30, which is not sustainable.”

One government benefit many people miss out on

The Attendance Allowance is available for those who have a disability severe enough they require looking after.

It includes those with physical and mental disabilities, but did you know it also covers people who are the State Pension age and older?

You do not need to have a someone caring for you in order to claim.

Those claiming the benefit can get either £61.85 or £92.40 per week, depending on their situation and the level of help required.

It is not means-tested, therefore what you earn, or how much you have in savings will not affect what you get.

How much each household could pay under the new price freeze

Liz Truss announced her government’s drastic new measures to solve the cost of living crisis today.

Under the new scheme, the average Brit will pay no more than £2,500 a year on their energy bills.

Take a look at the diagram below to see how much you could be paying.

When do I have to pay an advance payment back?

Claimants who are taking out a new loan are expected to pay it back within the first 24 months of getting it.

It used to be only within 12 months, but the length of time to repay doubled in April to hopefully reduce the number of people falling into debt.

The way it works is that the Department for Work and Pensions deduct an amount from your Universal Credit payment every month, starting with your first pay out.

You can work out how much will be deducted from your payment every month by dividing the full cost of the loan by 24.

For example, if you borrowed £1,500 you will see £62.50 taken off your Universal Credit payment every month.

You can ask for your repayments to be delayed for up to three months if you can’t afford them, but this will only be allowed in exceptional circumstances.

If you apply for an advance online you will be shown on screen the repayment amounts for different repayment periods.

If you ring the helpline and are successful in your application they will tell you over the phone:

• how much you can have
• the monthly repayment amounts
• when the first repayment is due

You still have to pay it back within 12 months if you applied for the advance before April 12 this year though.

You only have six months if you’ve applied because of a change in circumstances, but you can ask for your repayments to be delayed by one month in this case.

What is a universal credit advance payment?

An advance payment is a loan that you can ask for to help you through the wait for your first Universal Credit payment.

That wait is made up of a one month assessment period plus another week for the payment to reach your account.

So the advance is designed for people who need help to pay the bills or cover other costs while they wait.

Claimants can borrow up to 100% of their estimated payment, but you can also ask for less.

It’s an interest-free loan which means you will only pay back what you borrow.

But remember, you will be expected to pay it back.

The money will be transferred to you within three working days and is supposed to last the full five weeks before your first payment.

You can also get an advance payment if your circumstances have changed and you will get a larger payment, but you aren’t getting the increased amount yet.

In this case, you can’t apply online. Instead, you need to apply by ringing the helpline on 0800 328 5644.

Be aware that an advance payment is different from a budgeting advance – here, you can get up to £812 to help you get by.

Get cheap broadband if you claim Universal Credit

A number of broadband providers offer cheap deals for those on certain benefits.

It will differ depending on which provider you use, but these deals can often be claimed over the phone.

TalkTalk, Virgin Media and BT are three companies currently offering deals.

What’s costing you the most in the house?

With the cost of living getting higher and higher, many are looking for ways to keep their costs as low as possible.

Apart from finding cheaper energy suppliers, one of the key ways to keep costs down is to try to use some appliances less.

There are also smart appliances available that can help to keep costs down. Below is a list of the most costy appliances in a household:

Air Conditioning
Electric heater
Tumble drier
Washing machine
Fridge Freezer
Kettle
Games Console
TV

Here are the cheapest supermarkets in the UK

Prices are going up, so finding the most affordable place to do your weekly shop is crucial.

Consumer champion Which? conducted analysis of supermarket prices in July.

According to the organisation, for smaller shops of 47 items, Aldi comes out as the clear winner.

But if you are looking to do a big shop, 152 items, Asda is the way to go.

How a prepayment meter could help you save on bills

Despite the PM’s recent energy intervention, which is set to cap average bills at £2,500 a year, the cost of living is still set to rise.

So, if you are having trouble paying your energy bills, asking for a prepayment meter could be the way to go.

Over 4million homes are on prepayment meters where they pay for the energy they use at the time, rather than being billed later on.

If you’re finding it difficult to pay for your bills at the end of the month, a prepayment meter might be a good idea.

If your energy supplier believes a prepayment meter isn’t the best option but recognises that you are struggling, they are obligated to offer help.

They MUST propose one of these options going forward:

• A full payment plan review
• Affordable debt repayment plans
• Payment breaks
• Payment reductions
• More time to pay