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<p>The Government is committed to ensuring that older people are able to live with
the dignity and respect they deserve, and the State Pension is the foundation of state
support for older people.</p><p> </p><p>Over the last two years, the basic and new
State Pension have increased by more than 5.6%. This means that from April, the full
yearly amount of the basic State Pension will be around £720 more in 2022/23 than
if it had been up-rated by prices since 2010. That’s a rise of over £2,300 in cash
terms.</p><p> </p><p>The overall trend in the percentage of pensioners living in poverty
is a dramatic fall over recent decades. There are 200,000 fewer pensioners in absolute
poverty, both before and after housing costs, than in 2009/10.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>The
Government is providing support worth over £20 billion across this financial year
and next that will help households, including pensioners, with the cost of living.
This includes the £9.1 billion package announced this February to help with rising
energy bills.</p><p> </p><p>Our generous package includes a non-repayable £150 council
tax rebate from April and a further reduction of £200 on energy bills in October.
The £200 reduction in households’ energy bills from October will help people manage
the increase in energy bills by spreading the increased costs over a few years, so
they are more manageable for households.</p><p> </p><p>This is on top of existing
support available through Pension Credit, Winter Fuel Payments for households with
people over State Pension age, the Warm Home Discount Scheme, and Cold Weather Payments.</p><p>
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