Four DWP changes coming under Labour government in November 2024

The Department for Work and Pensions is set to roll out benefit and money changes as we head into November. The penultimate month of the year is likely to bring with it financial changes from the DWP and new Labour Party government.

Three bonus and extra payments on TOP of usual benefits are being issued by the DWP - including the Household Support Fund. The Household Support Fund, worth up to £200, could provide extra financial support to low-income families throughout November via cash distributed by their local council.

Each council has the discretion to decide how they wish to allocate their share of the Household Support Fund. Birmingham's council is offering a £200 Household Support Fund to residents, with cash grants being directly deposited into their bank accounts.

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Household Support Fund

Elsewhere, Nottinghamshire Council is also offering one-off payments of £200 to tens of thousands of households. To check your eligibility for help, contact your local council. Pensioners and others struggling to heat their homes or afford other essential items over the colder months should contact their local council to see what support may be available to them. Details on the latest scheme for local authorities and councils will be communicated in the coming weeks.

Many councils also use the Fund beyond emergency support, including working with local charities and community groups to provide residents with key appliances, school uniforms, cookery classes, and items to improve energy efficiency in the home.

Autumn Budget

Keir Starmer has said the era of the Conservatives “destroying economic foundations” and making “working people pay the price” is over. Speaking in Birmingham two days ahead of the first budget from the new government, Starmer said: "It will be a budget which will show to the British people that we won’t be distracted from our task. That we will stick to our long term plan.

"Run towards the tough decisions, rip off the short term sticky plasters. So we can lead our country, finally, but decisively out of this, pay more, get less, doomed, low growth Tory trap that for 14 years, decimated public services, destroyed our economic foundations and made working people pay the price.

"And mark my words, that era is now over. We are turning the page on Tory decline, closing the book on their austerity and chaos. Those days are done. They are behind us, and change is here."

Winter Fuel Payment

Rachel Reeves also made the controversial decision in July to tighten the eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments, which are designed to ensure older people can afford heating in colder months. This marked the first change to the benefit since 1997, when it was introduced and made available for all pensioners. It provides up to £300 per household to help towards heating costs in the winter.

The chancellor says changing the eligibility of the Winter Fuel Payment was necessary to plug the government’s multi-billion pound “black hole” between spending commitments and the cash available to meet them.

Warm Home Discount

The Warm Home Discount scheme obligates participating suppliers to provide rebates to eligible low-income households. The scheme helps households in, or at risk of, fuel poverty with direct energy bill payments as well as other financial and energy-related support.