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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
National
Catherine Furze

DWP says first £301 Cost of Living payment starts to arrive within days

Thousands of Nottinghamshire families are set to receive support through the Government's Cost of Living payments this Spring. As part of the £900 support package announced by Jeremy Hunt during November’s Autumn Statement, recipients will receive support through payments which are due to begin to land in people's accounts.

It is the second year that eligible families will be paid cost of living payments from the DWP. More than 8m people in the UK received the £650 cost of living payment last year.

As previously reported, a sum of £301 is being paid into accounts from April 25 up to May 17. Chronicle Live reports a DWP spokesperson said that he was unable to narrow down the exact payment dates within the three-week window but confirmed that the two previous payments of £326 and £324 last year were mostly made within the first week and a half after the first possible date. Claimants will begin to be paid from Tuesday, April 25.

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The DWP could not confirm how the payments will be spread out within the three-week payment window this time round. At the time of last November's payment it said only "a small number" would be paid on the first day, with "numbers increasing significantly" from the second day onwards.

Mel Stride, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, said: “These payments will give a financial boost to more than 8m households as we continue to wrap our arms around the most vulnerable, while the best way we can protect people from high costs is to halve inflation by the end of this year. In the long-term, we know work is the best route out of poverty, which is why we recently announced additional Work Coach support to help more people find work or increase their hours. Anyone looking to boost their skills or progress their career should speak to their work coach to ensure they’re accessing all the support the DWP can provide.”

The last date for payments for those in receipt of Universal Credit will be May 17, with the dates for families in receipt of Tax Credits and other eligible legacy benefits starting a week later on May 2 until May 9.

The Government has refused to release exact dates when the second and third payments will hit people's bank accounts, just Autumn 2023 and Spring 2024. But as it has already stated that payments will all be made in the 2023/2024 financial year.

There will also be a separate £150 for over 6 million disabled people nationwide and £300 for another 8 million pensioners on top of their Winter Fuel Payments to help them meet their energy bills coming later this year.

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