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03rd Feb 2022

Every household in the UK could be given £200 towards bills

Kieran Galpin

However, there’s a catch…

Amid surging energy bills and a cost of living crisis currently sweeping the country, every household in the UK could soon be set to get an extra £200.

With millions of people slipping below the poverty line – and National Insurance due to be hiked up by 1.25 per cent in April – many are struggling to keep on top of piling bills.

However the government is reportedly set to shell out £200 to every household to assist with energy bills – but there’s a catch.

Instead of a one-time cash grant, this £200 will need to be repaid.

The new plans would see £6bn given to energy firms, which in turn would lower the energy bills for each household. However as a result, this will see families paying higher energy bills at a later date in order to pay back the money.

There are several reasons for the rise in energy bills. British homes are heavily reliant on gas, with the Office for National Statistics suggesting 86.3 per cent of UK homes have gas central heating.

During Wednesday’s PMQ’s, opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer turned his attention from ‘Partygate’ and onto the cost of living crisis.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “On what we are doing to tackle costs of living and taxation, our covid recovery grant programme is absolutely vital in helping people with the costs of living, with taking up Universal Credit payments by cutting the tax that people effectively pay, lifting the living wage, helping councils with half a billion pounds for those who are facing particular hardship.

“But what we are also doing, and this is absolutely vital, is increasing the number of high wage, high skilled jobs in this country.”

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