Hornchurch and Upminster MP encourages residents to check their eligibility for cheaper phone and broadband.

Julia Lopez the Hornchurch and Upminster MP, is encouraging Havering residents to check their eligibility for a social tariff as she continues to work with phone and broadband operators to help customers with cost of living pressures.

Social tariffs are low payments that can provide a safety net for eligible households struggling to afford broadband or phone services, and as the Minister for Media, Data and Digital Infrastructure, Mrs Lopez has been working with her Department and Job centres to increase their uptake. That work was built upon last week with a Downing Street summit held by Culture Secretary, Nadine Dorries, at which operators made a raft of new commitments to assist customers.

Consumer group, Which, found that the average customer could save £250 a year by switching to a social tariff if eligible, while Money Saving Expert have published an information table of current available tariffs, alongside eligibility criteria, if any Havering resident thinks they might be able to access one of these deals.

Mrs Lopez raised social tariffs and the need to drive awareness on a June visit to the Harold Hill Foodbank, where she and her team met manager, Mark Reeves, to discuss how best they can work together to assist local people in need of support. Mr Reeves also highlighted his plans to open a debt centre to provide advice and help to those concerned about the impact of debt on their household finances. 

The Government has put together a comprehensive package of support to help people with cost of living pressures, worth £37 billion over the course of this year. Here is a round-up and timeline of measures:

July

• The first half of a £650 Cost of Living payment made to those on benefits. Details here.
• NICs threshold increases in line with income tax so that around 30 million workers pay less national insurance, getting on average £330 more in their pay packet during the year.

September

• £150 additional Cost of Living payment made to anyone on disability benefit

October 

• £400 payment made to all households to help with energy bills. 
• The second half of the Cost of Living payment made (see above).

November

• Winter fuel payments made, plus an additional £300. 

General Measures 

• Changes to the Universal Credit taper rate and work allowances worth £1,000 a year on average for 1.7 million working claimants.
• A rise in the National Living Wage to £9.50 an hour.
• A Household Support Fund of £1.5 billion for councils to help those most in need with food and energy bills.
• Alcohol duty frozen for 2022/23.
• Fuel duty cut by 5p per litre for 12 months from March. Constituents have written to share concerns that this cut is not being passed on by some of Havering’s local garages. Government shares that concern and the Business Secretary has asked the Competition & Markets Authority to launch an urgent investigation into the practices of the retail fuel market. Julia has passed the examples that residents have shared to the CMA as part of that inquiry.

For more help and information, visit the government’s Cost of Living support hub.