Anglesey County Council, in partnership with Welsh Government, are currently administering the £150 ‘cost of living’ grant scheme payments to eligible households on Anglesey.
Local residents whose homes are in council tax bands A-D and households in Council Tax bands A-I that receive Council Tax Reduction (formerly known as Council Tax benefit) are eligible for the payment.
To date, approximately 23,000 cost of living vouchers have been issued to eligible households on the island - to which residents can redeem at their local post office. This figure equates to approximately 75%-80% eligible Anglesey households.
Welsh Government have also provided the ‘Discretionary Cost of Living Support’ scheme to target households it considers to be in most need and who may be excluded from support within the main scheme.
In June 2022, the council's Executive approved the additional scheme which will result in £150 awarded to households in Bands A to D, whom are residents, but are exempt from Council Tax.
This payment includes households which are occupied by care leavers, those with severe mental impairments alongside residents living in emergency accommodation, unpaid carers, those affected by the benefit cap and residents in supported accommodation.
The Executive have also approved a £150 payment to be distributed to Anglesey residents in Higher Education that rent or own accommodation on the island. Grŵp Llandrillo Menai and Bangor University will distribute the payment to eligible Anglesey students.
The discretionary element of the Anglesey funding will also support ex-forces and veterans experiencing financial hardship. The funding, based on assessed need, is for a payment of up to £300 per household. Anglesey British Legion and SSAFA will distribute the payment to eligible veterans.
Residents that are experiencing financial hardship and have no access to additional funding (such as the Discretionary Assistance Fund for support food and fuel costs), can be helped based on an assessed need.
Further information on how to be considered for this payment will be communicated by mid-late September 2022.
Additionally, households entitled to the UK Government’s cost of living payments (announced by the Chancellor in May) to help with the rising cost of energy and food should have begun to receive some of payments from 14 July 2022. This funding is not administered by local authorities and will be processed by the Department for Work and Pensions.
What other payments are being made?
This funding is not administered by local authorities and will be processed by the Department for Work and Pensions.
There are three different cost of living payments:
- The main cost of living payment, worth £650 in total, for those on income-related benefits and tax credits.
- The pensioner payment, worth £300, for everyone who receives the winter fuel payment.
- The disability payment, worth £150, for those on non-means-tested disability benefits.
It is the first of these that will start to be paid in July. The disability cost of living payment will be paid from September, and the pensioner payment will come in November.
How will the money be paid?
The £650 is being paid in two instalments – the first is £326 and the second £324. The money will be paid into the same account that your benefits are paid into, and will have a reference “DWP Cost of Living”.
It should be paid automatically to everyone who qualifies – you do not need to apply.
Who qualifies for the £650 payment?
About 8.2m households are expected to be eligible. To qualify you need to be receiving one of the following benefits:
- Universal credit
- Income-based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA)
- Income-related employment and support allowance (ESA)
- Income support
- Pension credit
- Child tax credit
- Working tax credit
If you receive new-style employment and support allowance, contributory employment and support allowance or new-style jobseeker’s allowance but do not get universal credit, you will not qualify. If you receive housing benefit, but none of the qualifying benefits, you will not get the payment either.
Families that are on welfare support, either full or part can access the following emergency funding;
https://gov.wales/discretionary-assistance-fund-daf
Ends 15 August 2022