Thousands in Norfolk to get a £299 cost of living payment

Payments will be made to homes in Norfolk by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) between February 6 and 22.

It is the third of up to three payments totalling up to £900 paid to eligible households on means-tested benefits over 2023/24 and comes as part of a support package that has been helping during the cost of living crisis since autumn 2021.

Households receiving tax credits only will receive payments from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) between February 16 and 22.

The payments will be sent out automatically and recipients do not need to apply to receive them.

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Mel Stride, secretary of state for work and pensions, said: “The economy has turned a corner, and with inflation falling we are providing millions of the most vulnerable households with another significant cash boost.”

The UK Government said it will continue to support vulnerable people with the cost of living from April by uprating benefits in line with inflation by 6.7pc and maintaining the triple lock and increasing the state pension by 8.5pc, among other measures.

Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary was speaking at the Conservative Party conference (Image: Danny Lawson/ PA)

People can check the Help for Households website to see what cost of living schemes are available.

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According to figures released by the Insolvency Service last week, the number of people needing breathing space from their debts jumped by 25pc in 2023 compared with the previous year.

Across England and Wales, there were 88,390 registered breathing spaces in 2023, comprised of 86,928 standard and 1,462 mental health breathing space registrations, the Insolvency Service said.

A standard breathing space is available to people with problem debt and gives legal protections from creditor action for up to 60 days.