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<p>The government understands the pressures people are facing with the cost of living,
including disabled people, and has taken further, decisive action to support people
with their energy bills. The Energy Price Guarantee is supporting millions of households
with rising energy costs, and will continue to do so through cost of living support
announced earlier this year, which includes:</p><p> </p><ul><li>the £400 non-repayable
discount to eligible households provided through the Energy Bills Support Scheme;</li><li>a
Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 to six million people in recognition of
the extra costs they face, including with energy costs;</li><li>up to £650 in Cost
of Living Payments for the eight million households in receipt of a means-tested benefit;</li><li>a
one-off payment of £300 through, and as an addition to, the Winter Fuel Payment from
November to pensioner households.</li></ul><p> </p><p>To ensure ongoing stability
and certainty for households, in the Autumn Statement, we announced further support
for next year designed to target the most vulnerable households. This cost of living
support is worth £26 billion in 2023-24, in addition to uprating benefits for working
age households and disabled people as well as the basic and new State Pensions by
10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating
decisions the benefit cap will also be increased by 10.1%. Alongside further Cost
of Living Payments for the most vulnerable, the amended Energy Price Guarantee will
save the average UK household £500 in 2023-24.</p><p> </p><p>For those who require
extra support, the Government is providing an additional £1 billion of funding, including
Barnett impact, to enable the extension of the Household Support Fund in England in
the next financial year. This is on top of what we have already provided since October
2021, bringing total funding to £2.5 billion. In England, this will be delivered through
an extension to the Household Support Fund backed by £842 million, running from 1
April 2023 to 31 March 2024, which local authorities use to help households with the
cost of essentials. It will be for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate
their additional Barnett funding.</p>
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