Sue Robb of 4Children talks to Julie Laughton and Alison Britton from the Department for Education about the role of childminders in delivering the 30 hours free entitlement.
£15 billion Cost of Living Support package announced
The government has announced a £15 billion package of support to help with the rising cost of living.
The Cost of Living Support includes a new, one-off £650 payment to more than 8 million low-income households on Universal Credit, Tax Credits, Pension Credit and legacy benefits, with separate one-off payments of £300 to pensioner households and £150 to individuals receiving disability benefits.
The government has also announced that the energy bills discount due to come in from October is being doubled from £200 to £400, while the requirement to pay it back will be scrapped. This means households will receive a £400 discount on their energy bills from October.
The new Cost of Living Support package will mean that almost all of the eight million most vulnerable households will receive at least £1,200 of extra support this year, including the £150 council tax rebate that many families received last month – equal to the average energy price cap rise over this year.
A £500 million increase for the Household Support Fund, delivered by Local Authorities, will also be extended from October until March 2023. This brings the total Household Support Fund to £1.5 billion.
To help pay for the extra support, the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said a new temporary 25% Energy Profits Levy would be introduced for oil and gas companies, reflecting their extraordinary profits. At the same time, in order to increase the incentive to invest the new levy will include a new 80% investment allowance. This balanced approach allows the government to deliver support to families, while encouraging investment and growth.
Latest News
17/05/2024 - 11:06
Public buildings and businesses will be supported to make energy efficient upgrades, and those with high energy use will receive funding to help cut bills and emissions.
17/05/2024 - 09:17
CCS has signed an agreement with Virgin Media O2 Business in an attempt to boost digitalisation efforts across government bodies and public organisations.
16/05/2024 - 12:44
Public libraries will share a new efficient digital library platform which will make the service more consistent and improve access to books, e-books and other library services across Wales.
16/05/2024 - 10:59
The government said rough sleepers will be offered "greater support" as well as tackling anti-social behaviour through amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill.
16/05/2024 - 09:57
Counter fraud experts representing 13 local authorities across the country met to share best practice in the fight on fraud.
Company Focus
With the encroaching 2050 Net Zero target set out by the UK Government, there is now a concerted effort by all industries and commercial spaces to meet these targets. This has been further supported by the amended 2035 UK ban on the sale of all new petrol and diesel-powered cars and vans.
Event Diary
UKREiiF has quickly become a must-attend in the industry calendar for Government departments and local authorities.
Registration is now open for the award-winning Road Transport Expo 2024 (RTX) – the tradeshow with a dedicated “all about the truck” focus.
Supplier Profiles
At GeoEnergy Design, we're on a mission to disrupt the traditional way heating and cooling ha
Latest Features
Professor Harith Alani, director of the Knowledge Management Institute at the Open University explains how AI can be used for good and bad.
Alex Lawrence, head of health & social care, techUK sets out techUK’s Five Point Plan for CareTech.
