The chancellor has effectively revived cost-of-living payments, by announcing a £100 automatic payment made directly into bank accounts.
He said that 20 million homes in council tax bands A to D in England will receive a £100 “Household Energy Payment”, funded by extra tax on banks.
You can find your council tax band by looking on your annual bill, or by looking on the government’s website, external – although that was struggling to cope with traffic after the announcement.
Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive the equivalent funding, and they will decide whether to introduce the same payment.
This is designed to help with soaring energy bills. Tariffs linked to regulator Ofgem’s price cap, are forecast to soar by hundreds of pounds a year, to an annual bill of £2,000 or more in January.
