Southend residents could get £50 in food help
Southend-on-Sea Council is issuing free supermarket vouchers worth £50 for struggling households in the area.
These are set to be issued automatically so you won’t need to apply.
If you are eligible you will be notified by your child’s school and a voucher will be given to you.
How to get the warm home discount
Another benefit struggling households might be eligible for is the £150 warm home discount.
To claim the cash, you’ll need to receive one of the following benefits:
Residents of England and Wales do not need to apply for the discount and will receive it automatically.
Call for ban on sneaky price hikes by mobile/broadband firms
Martin Lewis has demanded a ban on sneaky price hikes by mobile and broadband firms in challenge to the Chancellor.
The Money Saving Expert has repeatedly called for above inflation mid-contract hikes to be banned.
And during ITV’s The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, he presented the issue to Jeremy Hunt.
What is the high-income child benefit charge?
If your income is between £50,000 and £60,000 the charge is 1% of your child benefit for every £100 between those two figures.
If your income goes over £60,000 all your child benefit is taken away and you have to pay the full amount.
This means that couples can have a joint income of up to £100,000 before any child benefit is deducted.
If your income is over the threshold you can choose to still get payments and pay any tax charged to HMRC at the end of each tax year.
Or you can opt out of getting payments and this means you will not be liable to pay the tax charge.
Charity Turn2Us suggests using the government’s child benefit tax calculator to see how you could be affected by the high-income tax charge.
Jeremy Hunt on ‘grossly unfair’ child benefits system
Jeremy Hunt admits that there is “unfairness” in the child benefits system.
During an interview with Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis, the Chancellor was quizzed about the controversial high income child benefit tax charge (HICBC), which disproportionately affects dual-income families.
Lewis said the issue was “the biggest question asked” by his viewers.
Reading out a message from a member of the public, Lewis added: “It seems grossly unfair that a couple can bring in nearly £100,000 – because it’s about the individual income – but a single breadwinner loses out once they’ve earned more than half of this.”
Hunt accepted that there was an issue with the HICBC, but couldn’t confirm any changes ahead of his spring Budget in March.
“I fully accept there is an unfairness with what happens with dual-income families,” Hunt said. “All I will say is this is one of many distortions in our overcomplicated tax system that I look at when it comes to every budget. There are lots of things I’d like to change. If it’s affordable to do so, then I will do so, but it’s too early for me to know at this stage.”
The £1 savings trick to help you get on the housing ladder
Martin Lewis has revealed a clever £1 savings trick to help get you on the housing ladder – with no risk.
The Money Saving Expert explained how you can open a Lifetime ISA (LISA) with the bare minimum just to get the clock ticking.
Martin said: “It has to have been open for one year before you get the first-time buyer bonus.
“So my big tip to anyone this maybe worthwhile for is get that £1 in.
“You put £1 in and the clock is ticking and then when you want to use it you can put your money in and get the bonus.”
