MORE than 400,000 Welsh families will recieve another Cost of Living support payment from the UK government - worth more than £300 - this spring.

After confirming the payment schedule for five cost of living payments through the 2023/24 financial year, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced more detail on the support.

This includes estimates of how many people across the UK, and in each local authority and parliamentary constituency, will receive the first £301 Cost of Living Payment - as well as the £150 disability payment, which follows on from up to £1,200 in support for low-income households in 2022.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Mel Stride said that the payment will help people "right across the UK".

“Our wider support package, including the Energy Price Guarantee, will ensure every household is being helped through this challenging period of high inflation," she said, citing "Putin’s illegal war and the aftershocks of the pandemic" as the reasons for said inflation.

Chancellor of the exchequer, Jeremy Hunt was also quick to cite inflation "exacerbated by Putin’s illegal war" as the reason for people in the UK becoming poorer in real terms.

“These payments are the next part of the significant support we are providing through this challenging time," he said.

"Millions of vulnerable households will receive £900 directly into their bank accounts this financial year alongside additional help for pensioners and those with disabilities.

“This latest payment will provide some temporary relief, but the best thing we can do to help families and businesses is to stick to the plan to halve inflation this year.”

Secretary of state for Wales David Davies was more coy in his assessment of the causes of the levels of inflation in the UK.

He simply cited "current global pressures".

“It’s good to see that over 400,000 of those most in need in Wales are getting financial support from the UK Government with direct payments," he said.

"We recognise the impact of the current high cost of living, and we are doing all we can to provide help to the most vulnerable households.

“This is just one part of a wider package of support we’ve put in place to combat the effects of high inflation caused by current global pressures.”

Exact payment windows and qualifying periods for eligibility will be announced in due course. They will be broadly as follows:

  • £301 – First 2023/24 Cost of Living Payment – during Spring 2023
  • £150 – 2023 Disability Payment – during Summer 2023
  • £300 – Second 2023/24 Cost of Living Payment – during Autumn 2023
  • £300 – 2023 Pensioner Payment – during Winter 2023/4
  • £299 – Third 2023/24 Cost of Living Payment – during Spring 2024

Eligible individuals do not need to apply for payments, as they are made automatically.

Those eligible for cost of living payments through tax credits, and no other means-tested benefits, will be paid by HMRC shortly after DWP payments are made.