One million Greater Manchester households to get £350 help with energy bills

More than a million households across Greater Manchester are eligible for the £350 boost announced by the Government to help residents cope with rising energy costs.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the measures for households in council tax bands A to D.

But just how homes of those types are there in Greater Manchester?

We took a look at data collected by our sister title NationalWorld to find how just how many households are in line for the cash boost in our city-region.

What does the data show for Greater Manchester?

Across the 10 local authorities of Greater Manchester there are just over a million households (1,092,087 is the exact total) which are eligible for the cash boost.

That means they are in council tax bands A to D and are not second homes or standing empty.

Perhaps unsurprisingly the biggest number of homes qualifying for the rebate in Manchester, with 211,106 in the lowest four council tax bands.

That is followed by Wigan, with 133,760, Salford where there are 111,739, Bolton with 110,892 and Stockport with 104,309.

The figures for the remaining Greater Manchester boroughs are 95,037 for Tameside, 87,662 for Oldham, 85,013 for Rochdale, 80,204 for Trafford and 72,095 for Bury.

Manchester also has the largest number of band A properties, with 123,867.

This is almost double the 64,514 band A households in Wigan, which has the second-highest total.

What has the Government said about the cash boost?

The Government says it is bringing in the rebate to help people with the cost of living following the rise in the energy price cap.

Energy regulator Ofgem has admitted that the soaring global wholesale price of gas, which has quadrupled in the past year, will mean a rise in energy bills of almost £700 for the average household from 1 April.

To help cushion this blow, around 28 million households across the country will receive an upfront discount of £200.

There will then be a further £150 rebate for those in homes paying council tax in bands A to D,

There will be further discretionary payments made to individuals on low incomes who do not pay council tax or live in properties in bands E to H, the Government said..

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said the growing cost of living pressures was the “number one issue on people’s minds”.

What has the reaction been?

Responding to the Treasury package to ease cost of living concerns, including the council tax rebates and discretionary funding for councils, Coun Shaun Davies, chair of the Local Government Association’s resources board, said: “This year will be tougher than most, particularly for those on lower incomes, with many households feeling the impact of the pandemic on their earnings, alongside the removal of the £20 Universal Credit uplift and rising costs of energy.

“We are pleased the Government is stepping in to provide financial support to help ease these pressures. Extra discretionary funding for councils will also help them continue to provide much needed crisis support to households who are struggling to afford food, fuel and other essentials.

“We want to work quickly with government to clarify the details of this funding. To ensure it can be distributed as quickly as possible, we would urge it to be added to existing discretionary council schemes.

“Many households are likely to be economically vulnerable for some time to come. Going forward, councils want to work with government on an effective long-term solution to preventing poverty and disadvantage that moves away from providing crisis support towards improving life chances and building resilience.

“This is vital to levelling up and tackling the stark inequalities exposed by the pandemic.”

Leading business organisation the CBI said the focus on vulnerable residents was welcome but the Government also needed to work with the sector on a revamped retail energy market, setting a higher bar for market access and tougher stress testing for suppliers.

It also said support for hard-hit businesses was required and plans to improve insulation and transition to clean energy needed to be given more urgency.

The Labour Party, meanwhile, called for a windfall tax on oil and gas to ease the burden on households and stop bills rising.