Shropshire residents are being helped to access government support schemes as part of a new resource published by Stuart Anderson, South Shropshire's Conservatives Parliamentary Candidate.
Stuart has launched an Household Support Finder to help local families access government-funded schemes. It coincides with the start of the new financial year, when central parts of the Government's economic plan have come into force. This April, the Government is cutting National Insurance Contributions for 29 million working people by an average of £900 a year, uprating the State Pension by £900 a year for 79,231 pensioners in Shropshire, and increasing the National Living Wage for 2.7 million workers from £10.42 to £11.44 an hour - an increase of 9.8% or £1,800 a year.
Stuart’s support finder helps families and individuals to quickly find help available to them. It covers a range of areas including health, housing, and transport and caters for a diversity of residents with different ages and backgrounds. The 8.5% increase to the State Pension, for example, means that it has risen by £3,700 since 2010. Thanks to the Government’s commitment to the Triple Lock, it is £990 more than if it had been uprated by prices, and £1,000 more than if it had been uprated by earnings since 2010. Local Housing Allowance has also increased this month to support 1.6 million families by an average of £800 and Universal Credit was uprated to support ten million families with higher costs.
The Government is rewarding work by slashing National Insurance contributions for the employed and the self-employed by a third since the Autumn, putting £900 back in to the pockets of the average hard-working employee. The Government has revealed that nearly £5 billion of support was paid to help households with their energy bills this winter. This includes over £4 billion through the Winter Fuel Payment and Pensioner Cost of Living Payment and an estimated £550 million as part of the Warm Home Discount to support three million households. Over 1.1 million £25 Cold Weather Payments have been made to households in England and Wales.
This month, the Energy Price Cap has also been reduced by 12.3% to its lowest level since 2022 - saving a typical family by £238 a year. This comes alongside the introduction of 15 hours of free childcare a week for eligible parents of two year olds. It is part of the largest expansion of childcare in British history, with 30 hours of free childcare per week available from next year for parents with children under five - saving parents up to £6,900 a year.
Stuart Anderson said:
"April marks the start of a new financial year. This month, an exciting package of tax cuts, pay increases, and cost of living support has come into effect, benefiting residents across Shropshire. I will always do all that I can to ensure that the most vulnerable in Shropshire and beyond get the support they need. My household support finder helps local families better understand how this will assist them and their loved ones. This includes cutting taxes for 29 million working people, uprating the state pension by £900 a year, and a historic boost to the National Living Wage - an annual pay boost of £1,800 for 2.7 million workers.”
The Government has provided support worth an average £3,800 for vulnerable households between 2022-25 and is injecting £2.5 billion as part of the Back to Work Plan to help people with disabilities, health conditions, or who are long-term unemployed to find and stay in work.
More details can be found on Stuart’s Household Support Finder at https://southshropshire.stuartanderson.org.uk/household-support.
