Thirty people could be given £1,600 a month - no strings attached - in England's first trial of the universal basic income (UBI) scheme.
The trial is being backed by the independent research organisation, Autonomy, and supported by the charity Big Local and Northumbria University.
The participants in the trial will be handed £1,600 a month as part of the two-year scheme to find out what impact money has on their lives.
Autonomy's plan is to see how the concept of UBI could work in England and if it will help tackle poverty.
Here we explain everything you need to know about the universal basic income scheme.
What is universal basic income?
While there are different models of universal basic income, the concept is the same - it is guaranteed, regular cash payments to every single person regardless of how much money you have or earn.
UBI is paid to individuals, rather than households, and the amount you get can vary according to factors like your age.
The cash is paid directly into your bank account and it is paid at regular intervals rather than a one-off lump sum - exactly like how you would receive a wage.
The idea of UBI is that it should cover all your basic needs such as food, energy and housing - it is designed to create a minimum income floor in society.
Why is the trial being introduced?
The concept of UBI is not new, but the current cost of living crisis has led to more serious discussions on whether it should be or could be implemented.
Some argue that UBI could reduce poverty as everyone has a decent pot of money to fall back on each month even if they are not working.
Will Strong, director of research at Autonomy argues that the scheme can guard against future labour disruption such as climate change, AI and automation.
Many say this concept could also simplify the UK welfare state system which is often described as being "confusing" and "stressful".
However, critics argue that it would be very expensive, difficult to implement and promote a "something for nothing" culture.
Changing to this model would also require a major overhaul of the tax system in the UK as a universal rollout would not come cheap.
An overhaul of the benefits system would also be needed as some people may need more than the basic minimum.
What will the trial look like?
The UBI trial would be conducted on a group of 15 randomly selected people from the north east town of Jarrow and 15 people in East Finchley, in north London.
Everyone would be over the age of 18 and 20% of those chosen will have a disability.
They would be paid the money "without a requirement to work or to demonstrate a willingness to work".
Over the two years of the trial, researchers would observe the impact that the money has on the lives of the recipients.
Their physical and mental health would be looked at as well as whether they choose to work or not.
A control group of thirty people would also be used, these people will not get the universal basic income, and researchers will compare the two experiences.
Autonomy is hopeful that its proposed pilot will lead to a rollout of an even larger trial across the UK.
Has it been tested anywhere else?
The answer to this is yes!
Currently, the Welsh Government is running a basic income pilot for 18-year-olds leaving the care system, who get £1,600 a month for two years after turning 18.
Finland ran a two-year trial of a universal basic income in 2017 which 2,000 people were paid €560 (£490) a month - however, the Finnish Government scrapped it a year later.
In America, the state of Alaska has paid all residents between $1,000 and $2,000 (£806 to £1,612) a year since 1982 - last year residents received their biggest pay to date worth $3,284 due to an added energy relief.
The Scottish Government has also run a feasibility study to see if the concept could work in Scotland and started work on plans for a Minimum Income Guarantee by 2030.
