The Chancellor Rishi Sunak has today confirmed in an Energy Statement, £9billion of support measures to help people with the cost of living increase, particularly energy bills.
Speaking in Parliament today, the Chancellor confirmed that
All domestic electricity customers will receive an upfront discount of £200 for their energy bills from October. This will be automatically repaid in equal £40 instalments over the next five years.
People will get a £150 discount on council tax A-D. 80% of all homes in England will benefit.
Local authorities will have a discretionary fund of £150million to help low income households
He also confirmed the Government is going ahead with existing plans to expand eligibility for Warm Homes Discount by a third, so that 3 million vulnerable households will now benefit from that scheme.
Welcoming the news was St Austell and Newquay’s Member of Parliament Steve Double, who said:
“Today’s announcement by the Chancellor is excellent news for hard-pressed people across Cornwall who have been worrying about the cost of living increases, particularly our energy bills.”
“The measures announced by our Chancellor are a sensible and proportionate way of ensuring this support is delivered effectively, while also ensuring those who need it most are eligible for more assistance as required.”
“Particularly for Cornwall, I am always keen to ensure Government money is distributed fairly, and I was pleased to have a personal assurance from the Ministerial team that the council tax discounts will not be applied to second homes.”