Cost of living crisis: Welsh households to receive £150 council tax credit with the Winter Fuel Support Scheme doubled to £200

The support package comes as the energy price cap is set to soar by a massive £693 a year from 1 April. Earlier this month (3 February), the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that 20 million households in England, those also in council tax bands A to D, will receive a £150 payment in April. The Scottish Government has also announced a similar support package. 

For more information on council tax bands and what they mean for you, see our Council tax bands guide. 

The Welsh Government has announced three forms of support:

The Welsh Government has announced a package of new measures, worth £330 million, to help people with the cost-of-living crisis:

• A £150 payment for those in Wales whose homes are in council tax bands A to D. Support will also be given to those eligible for council tax reductions. The Welsh Government will work with local authorities to provide more detail about how the scheme will operate and will begin making payments as soon as possible - we'll update this story once we know how payments will be processed. 

• A £25 million separate pot of financial support for vulnerable households in Wales. This is discretionary funding for local authorities. It will allow councils to use their local knowledge to help households who may be struggling.

• Winter Fuel Support Scheme payment raised from £100 to £200 and extended to next winter. This enables households on eligible benefits to claim a one-off, non-repayable payment of £200 to help towards energy bills. The £200 will be available to new applicants, while an extra £100 will be retrospectively paid to those who have already successfully applied this winter. Eligible households have until the 28 February to apply. The scheme will also run again next winter. For full information, see our story on the Winter Fuel Support Scheme.

What does the Welsh Government say?

Rebecca Evans, minister for finance, said: “People are facing a very real cost-of-living crisis and urgent, meaningful action is required. We have been able to go above and beyond to provide Welsh households with more help in paying bills, heating homes and putting food on the table."