PM continues to support families with cost of living ahead of winter - GOV.UK

Millions of people across the country are set to receive significant cost of living support ahead of winter, with the government freezing bus fares in England and the second cost-of-living

payment – worth £900 in total - landing directly in bank accounts from today.

The bus fare cap had been due to rise to £2.50 but we are keeping the fares down at £2 until the end of next year to help millions of people make significant savings on their travel costs.

The fare cap has helped cut bus fares in England outside London by 7.4% between June 2022 and June 2023, with even bigger savings in rural areas where fares have dropped by almost 11%. 

This extension is only possible due to the redirected HS2 funding as part of our Network North plan and takes the total government investment to keep bus fares down to nearly £600 million -

with over 140 operators signing up to continue offering the cap across more than 5,000 routes.

Over 8 million households across the UK will also receive the second of up to three payments from today, totalling up to £900 through 2023/24 with a further cost of living payment due to be

made to eligible households by Spring next year.

These payments are entirely tax-free, will not count towards the benefit cap, and will not have any impact on existing benefit awards. Those who are eligible will be paid automatically and

do not need to apply for the payment or do anything to receive it.

We are also committed to helping vulnerable households across the UK with their energy bills over winter. Winter Fuel Payments – boosted again this year by an additional £300 per household

Pensioner Cost of Living payment – will provide pensioners with up to £600 to help with heating costs over the colder months. 

On top of this, nearly three million low-income households are also eligible for a £150 rebate on their winter electricity bills through the Warm Home Discount. From tomorrow (1st November)

Cold Weather Payments will also come into effect to provide eligible households £25 extra a week when the temperature is zero or below for more than seven days across the UK.

Mel Stride, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said: 

Taken together, these measures build on the significant cost of living support already provided to eligible households throughout last year – now worth an average of £3,300 per household

over this year and last. 

The government has a strong record on supporting the most vulnerable and lifting households out of poverty, with the latest data showing there were nearly 1 million fewer workless households

since 2010 and 1.7 million fewer people in absolute poverty after housing costs over the last decade. 

We know the best route out of poverty is through work, which is why we’ve introduced a package of measures worth £3.5 billion to break down the barriers for people to find jobs and fulfil

their potential. This includes our flagship Universal Support scheme which will get thousands more people into jobs with a personal adviser providing wraparound support for up to a year

while they find their feet.

We encourage people in need of additional support over winter to check their eligibility through our Help for Households website for the various cost of living schemes that are place.