Jessica Toale, MP for Bournemouth West, has welcomed the news that an extra 220,000 households across the South West will receive £150 off their energy bills this winter as part of an expanded Warm Home Discount scheme.
The changes mean many families will receive this discount for the first time.
Locally, every household on means-tested benefits will now qualify automatically, regardless of their home’s size or energy rating.
The announcement is part of the Government’s efforts to ease the cost of living and offer targeted help during the colder months, when energy use typically increases.
Across the country, 2.7 million more households will now benefit from the scheme, including nearly one million families with children. The expansion brings the total number of eligible homes to over six million, including 1.8 million classed as being in fuel poverty.
Jessica Toale said the move “puts money back into people’s pockets at a time when energy costs are still high” and will “make a real difference for thousands more in our community”.
The Warm Home Discount expansion forms part of the Government’s wider Warm Homes Plan, which is investing £13.2 billion to improve the energy efficiency of homes and lower heating costs.
This support is one of several measures being taken this year to reduce financial pressure on families, including extending free school meals, capping school uniform costs, increasing the minimum wage and widening access to free childcare.