Thousands of people across the North East will receive £1,350 of Government support through cost-of-living payments this year.

As part of the new government payments, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has revealed more details on the next round of cost of living support unveiled in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement.

More than eight million people in the UK will qualify for a new £900 cash boost, available to people in receipt of means-tested benefits including Universal Credit, Pension Credit and tax credits.

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Those £900 payments will begin in Spring and will be paid in three instalments directly into claimants’ bank accounts throughout the year.

There will also be a separate £150 payment for more than six million disabled people, and an extra £3000 for eight million pensioners on top of their Winter Fuel payments.

The exact payment dates are yet to be announced by the DWP, but this is when to expect each individual payment over the next year:

  • First cost of living payment - £300 – Spring 2023
  • Disability payment - £150 – Summer 2023
  • Second cost of living payment - £300 – Autumn 2023
  • Pensioner payment - £300 – Winter 2023
  • Third cost of living payment - £299 – Spring 2024

In the North East, the DWP will give payments - but other cash boosts will be distributed by councils across the region.

These include the warm home payments and other benefits.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Mel Stride said: “We are sticking by our promise to protect the most vulnerable and these payments, worth hundreds of pounds, will provide vital support next year for those on the lowest incomes.

“The government’s wider support package has already helped more than eight million families as we continue to deal with the global consequences of Putin’s illegal war and the aftershocks of the pandemic.”

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Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt added: “I know these are tough times for families across the UK who are struggling to meet rising food and energy costs, driven by the aftershocks of Covid and Putin’s war in Ukraine.

“That’s why we’re putting a further £900 into the pockets of over 8 million low-income households next year. These payments are on top of above-inflation increases in working-age benefits and the Energy Price Guarantee, which is insulating millions from even higher global gas prices.

“Tackling inflation is this government’s number one priority and is the only way to ease the strain of high prices, drive long-term economic growth and improve living standards for everyone.”