From today, UK households see changes with energy bills decreasing and wage increases. The National Living Wage rises to £12.71, minimum wage to £10.85, and energy bills drop by £117 annually. These changes are accompanied by the launch of a Crisis and Resilience Fund.
Energy bills will go down for the average household from today As April begins, a raft of changes that will influence household budgets across the UK are coming into effect. The updates will affect taxes, wages, and – with rising costs due to the Iran war at the front of many minds – energy bills .
In addition, a number of other changes will happen next week when the new financial year starts on April 6. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said the boost to wages and fall in energy bills will reassure the public that ‘they have a government on their side’, which is ‘bearing down on the cost of living’. But political opponents have said more could be done to keep prices down as the effects of the Middle East conflict bed in. Here are the biggest changes that have happened today. National Living Wage and Minimum Wage up From today, the National Living Wage is rising to £12.71 an hour – which should put around £18.75 extra in the pocket of full-time workers aged 21 or over each week. Meanwhile, the minimum wage – which applies to those aged 18 to 20 – goes up from £10 to £10.85 per hour. The apprentice rate and under-18 rate are both also increasing from £7.55 to £8. Energy bills down Gas and electricity bills are going down, while heating oil households will get support Despite the spike in energy prices from the war in Iran, there will be no increase in gas and electricity bills – at least, not yet. In fact, bills will actually go down by an average of £117 a year as Ofgem’s price cap was set before the Middle East crisis began. It will remain in effect until the end of June. This is also the day the new Crisis and Resilience Fund kicks off, giving local authorities funding to help vulnerable households such as those who use heating oil in their homes. Air Passenger Duty up APD will go up – especially for private jets In the middle of the Easter holidays, the Air Passenger Duty on flights is being hiked up. For domestic economy flights, it’s rising from £7 to £8, while the duty on economy flights to Europe is rising from £13 to £15. For an economy flight to more far-off destinations like the US and Canada, it’ll rise from £90 to £102. The higher rate of Air Passenger Duty – which applies to private jets equipped to carry 19 passengers or less – is seeing a much more significant hike. Prescription charges frozen Today marks the beginning of a second year in which prescription charges are frozen in England. They will not increase beyond the current level of £9.90 for a single charge, allowing the government to maintain its vow to keep them under a tenner. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland prescriptions will continue to be free. More changes happening on April 6 At the start of the new financial year, the state pension is rising by 4.8% due to the triple lock. That means those on the new state pension will get £241.30 a week, while those on the basic state pension will get £184.90. Meanwhile, the two-child benefit limit is being scrapped from April 6, meaning families who claim universal credit will receive around £3,647 more each year if they have a third child born after that date. The government has said this move will put 450,000 children on a ‘pathway out of poverty’. From April 6, a number of changes in the Employment Rights Act will also take effect: paternity and ordinary parental leave becoming a day-one right; the removal of the lower earnings limit for statutory sick pay; and whistleblowing protection for sexual harassment. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.
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