February 2022

The NatWest Group is to close 32 of its NatWest and RBS branches across the UK between May and July this year. This is in addition to 5,000 branch closures initiated over the past five years. We have a full list of the sites being shut below and what to do if your local branch is closing.

Close to two million households in Scotland will be given £150 to help cushion against the cost of living crisis. The money will be given to those in council tax bands A to D and those eligible for council tax reductions.

Research commissioned by MoneySavingExpert.com shows the majority of Brits would opt out of the Government's new compulsory £200 energy scheme if given the choice, with MSE founder Martin Lewis calling on the Chancellor to scrap the 'loan-not-loan' scheme.

Octopus Energy will offer free electricity to its 1.4 million smart meter customers who can hit electricity reduction targets during peak hours. We've full info on who can get it and how to apply below.  

About two million EDF Energy customers on standard tariffs will see gas and electricity bills jump by a typical £693 a year from April, after it announced it's raising prices by the maximum allowed under the new price cap.

Some 100,000 low income households and pregnant women currently in receipt of 'NHS Healthy Start' vouchers need to actively apply for a new prepaid card to receive their payments from 10 March, as the scheme will stop sending out paper vouchers.  

The Treasury has corrected information on its website regarding the forthcoming increase in national insurance after a tweet from MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) founder Martin Lewis calling it "misleading" went viral. 

Energy regulator Ofgem has announced today that it will be reviewing whether to update the energy price cap more frequently in future as a result of the "unprecedented rise in wholesale market prices and volatility". This follows its decision yesterday to increase the price cap by 54% – adding a typical £700 a year to the bills of 22 million households from April.

Martin Lewis explains how a new £200 energy bill loan offered by the Government really works in his latest video. The initiative was announced this week in a bid to help households with the rising cost of living, following confirmation that typical energy bills will rise by £693 a year from 1 April. But there's lots of confusion about the loan, which MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin debunks below.  

Average household water and sewerage bills in England and Wales are set to rise by around £7 a year (1.7%) from April, it has been announced today. But prices will vary depending on where you live and some will see much larger increases. Meanwhile, bills in Scotland will rise by a higher 4.2% on average.