The richest 500 people in the world now have a combined net worth of £8trillion – or $10trillion.
Meanwhile, nearly 700million people are in extreme poverty, living on less than £1.71 per day, according to the World Bank.
Just under half the population – 44%, or 3.5 billion people – live on less than £5.46, which is thepoverty line in upper-middle income countries like Brazil, Algeria, Ukraine and China.
Musk, Zuckerberg and Huang may top the charts, but they aren’t the only tech titans up there, Bloomberg reports.
They’re closely followed by Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, Amazon boss Jeff Bezos, Michael Dell and Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Jeff Bezos is one of the richest people in the world (Picture: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
Collectively, the eight of them gained more than £477billion in wealth this year.
This accounts for 43% of the £1.2trillion increase seen by the 500 richest people tracked by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Musk, the world’s richest man, saw his own worth nearly double to £352billion in 2024.
This was aided by the re-election of his ally Donald Trump as President of the United States, who he backed with money and the power of his social media platform X.
He may be increasingly controversial, but it resulted in boost to the stock prices of his companies Tesla, SpaceX and xAI.
This saw him pull further ahead of second-placed Jeff Bezos than ever before – with a record gap of £188billion.
There are many people who do not know that they are eligible for pension credits (Picture: Getty Images)
With the cost of living crisis continuing to bite, people are keen to know more about what schemes are out there to help them out.
Pension credits entitle those who are eligible to thousands more per year. Paid directly into your bank account, like other benefits they are designed to aid those living on a lower income.
To further determine eligibility for Guarantee Credit, your income will be calculated based on whether you receive a state pension, other pensions, social security benefits, what your earnings are and what savings you have (if any).
If your income totals over £218.15 a week (if you’re single) or £332.95 (if you’re a couple) then you may not be entitled to pension credit in the UK.
You may still be eligible for pension credit if your income is lower than this, even if you have savings, a pension or your own home.
You can only receive Savings Credit if you (and your partner) reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 and you saved some money for retirement — for example, a personal or workplace pension.
You might still get some Savings Credit even if you do not get the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit.
It’s worth checking if you are eligible for additional support (Picture: Getty Images)
You’ll need the following information about you and your partner (if you have one):
National Insurance number
Information about any income, savings and investments you have
Information about your income, savings and investments on the date you want to backdate your application to
Bank account details and, depending on how you apply, you may also be asked for your bank or building society name, sort code and account number
You can apply for Pension Credit online, over the phone or via post (Picture: In Pictures via Getty Images)
If you are unable to apply online, you can call the Pension Credit claim line on 0800 99 1234, or print and fill out a Pension Credit claim form to send via post.
You can start your application up to four months before you reach State Pension age and any time after you reach it.
However, your application can only be backdated by three months, meaning you can receive a maximum of three months’ worth of Pension Credit in your first payment.
Organisations like Citizens Advice or Age UK can offer help with your application should you need it.
For more information and advice on how to claim pension credit, you can visit the ‘How to Claim’ section on the gov.uk website.
Martin Lewis has urgent advice ahead of the energy price cap rise (Picture: Getty)
It’s happening again folks: gas and electricity prices are rising from January 1, 2025 – and Martin Lewishas some advice to help you avoid getting stung by hikes.
As of New Year’s Day, the unit rate for electricity will be 24.86p per kilowatt hour, with standing charges (the fixed daily fee you pay, even if you use no electricity – at 60.97p per day.
Gas, meanwhile, clocks in at 6.34kWh and now has a standing charge of 31.65p per day.
Bear in mind, the actual rates you’re charged vary slightly from region to region, and will differ depending on how you pay your bill and the type of meter you have. This will also change again from March 31, as Ofgem announces a new cap every three months.
More than 85% of people in England, Scotland and Wales will be impacted by the new cap though, and homes with typical use who pay by direct debit will see their bills rise by around £21 annually, totalling to £1,738.
And while this may not seem like much of an increase to some, the regulator claims UK households could potentially overpay by a collective £66 million if they don’t take action.
If you’ve got a smart meter you don’t need to do anything. (Picture: Getty Images)
If you’ve got a working smart meter at home, you don’t need to do anything as it’ll be accurately giving readings to your supplier from January 1.
But for an estimated 48 million of us in the UK, (those without smart meters), Martin Lewis and the team have warned there’s an important step you need to take so you aren’t charged more than you should be.
The expert recommends giving an up-to-date meter reading to your energy company in the coming days, in order to ‘reduce the risk that your supplier estimates that you’ve used more at the new higher rate than you have’.
Comment nowHave you given an up-to-date meter reading to your energy company?Comment Now
However, you need to be tactical about when you do this.
If millions of people all rush to give a meter reading at the same time, this could cause a few issues — suppliers’ websites could crash and phone lines could become jammed, which may affect vulnerable people in need of assistance.
In order to avoid this, you should submit your reading a few days either side of the change (giving yourself until Friday, January 3 mean you have three days left) or take note of your reading and submit it after the price cap rise, as some companies allow you to backdate your reading.
According to Martin, if you submit your readings within this time period, ‘any discrepancy [with your energy charges] should be minor’.
How can I lower my energy bills?
‘The price cap increase will come as a blow to many households, many of whom are already struggling with the high cost of living,’ Amy Knight, personal finance expert at the financial comparison website NerdWallet UK, told Metro.
‘While cutting down on energy use can help save money on bills, this isn’t always an option. Instead, focus on getting more value from the money you spend heating your home.’
Here are Amy’s top tips to keep fuel bills low this winter:
Consider carefully before you switch energy provider
If you’re thinking of switching energy provider, discounted rates for new customers can lead to savings. But, take note of when the introductory period ends to avoid a nasty shock when your bill jumps up again.
If you’re already on a fixed deal that’s more expensive than the price cap, it may be worth seeing if you can switch to a cheaper variable tariff or a cheaper fixed deal. But, if you do decide to leave your current fix, you should first check if you need to pay any penalty fees.
Ask for a refund if you’re overpaying into your energy bill by direct debit
If you’re several hundreds or even thousands in credit, your direct debit is probably set too high.
You can ask for a refund of most of the balance and adjust your direct debit to be lower. Be aware though, it is normal to be in credit this time of year because most households use less energy in the summer versus the winter when we have the heating on.
How hot do you need your water?
Heating water uses a lot of energy, so you can turn down the flow temperature of your boiler to shave a little off your bills.
As long as the water from your hot tap is comfortable to have a bath in, you don’t need to set it any hotter. You can do this manually or you may be able to ask a heating engineer to fit a device called a ‘weather compensator’.
Remember where warm air comes from
Keep radiators uncovered to maximise the benefit when they’re on. If you have long curtains covering your radiators, leave them open to make sure the warm air circulates into the room, not out of the window.
Look at the label
When shopping for a new appliance such as a washing machine or fridge, look at the efficiency ratings. If your budget can stretch to A or B-rated white goods, these can help lower your energy usage long term.
How and when to submit a meter reading
Customers with British Gas, EDF Energy, E.on Next, Octopus Energy, Ovo Energy, Scottish Power, So Energy, or Utility Warehouse can submit meter readings via their online account, the company app, or over the phone.
Some companies also now let you send your readings via text message or through WhatsApp, but you’ll need to check with your energy provider whether they allow this.
When taking meter readings, always be sure to take a photo of your meter, so you have the info to hand and proof of the exact day/time you took the reading.
For British Gas you can backdate your meter readings until January 14, but for EDF Energy the cutoff date is January 9.
Octopus customers can backdate their readings until January 8 and Ovo Energy has set a cut-off of January 11, while E.on Next users only have until January 6. For Scottish Power there’s a little less time as the backdated readings must be submitted by January 5.
So Energy Customers are able to backdate their readings, but only if they have proof of the day they took the reading on.
However, those with Utility Warehouse are being encouraged not to backdate readings, and instead submit them before the new cap is in effect on January 1 — so you best hurry.
Those who don’t have a smart meter and fail to submit a reading by the end of the year will likely be billed based on an estimate, which could see December usage charged January prices, according to price comparison website Uswitch.
A week’s worth of energy in January will cost on average £6.67 more per home per week compared to December, which collectively across Britain totals £66 million
Elsie Melville, energy expert at Uswitch, said: ‘Customers who don’t have a smart meter should aim to submit their readings before or on Wednesday 1 January, so their supplier has an updated – and accurate – view of their account.
‘If you leave it any later than this, then some of your December energy usage could end up being estimated and therefore charged under the higher January rates.
‘Now is also an ideal time to look at switching to a new energy tariff, as there are a range of fixed deals currently available that are cheaper than the January price cap.
‘By opting for a fixed deal, you’re locking in those rates for the duration – which means households could have price certainty and avoid the ups and downs of the price cap.
The energy price cap is going up in January (Picture: Getty Images)
What is the energy price cap?
The energy price cap is a cap set on the maximum price energy companies can charge households for each unit of energy used on a standard, or default, tariff.
Ofgem, the government’s energy regulator, re-evaluates the level for a typical dual-fuel household every three months.
This applies to everywhere in the UK except Northern Ireland, which has its own energy market.
‘Make sure you are happy with how long the contract lasts and any exit fees for leaving early.’
EOn told its customers that those on a standard variable tariff and who do not have a smart meter should submit a reading before January 5 to avoid being billed based on an estimate.
Industry analyst Cornwall Insight has predicted that the price cap will rise by 1 per cent in April to £1,762, reports This Is Money.
Regulator Ofgem advised homes to check if they can get a better deal with an alternative energy provider, and consider moving to a fixed rate deal (as opposed to a standard variable rate) to potentially lock in a cheaper rate.
Shane Cole knows what it’s like to be homeless and spend lonely nights without warm food (Picture: Getty)
On a cold October’s day in 2018, Shane Cole sighed. Barely any customers had braved the torrential rain to visit his street food trailer in Letchworth, Hertfordshire and he had a huge pile of meals leftover.
On a napkin, he totalled his losses for the day – which came to £860. On the other side of the napkin, he wrote down something very different.
‘I’d been about to throw my food away, when I thought, there must be something else I could do,’ Shane recalls.’I wrote ideas down on the napkin about ways I could get the food to people in need. I also wrote down the words: “feed up warm up.”’
Shane, 37, is speaking to Metro from the Lamex Stadium, home of Stevenage Football Club.
There’s a steady stream of people dashing in and a steady hubbub of conversation across the room. But they’re not there for a football match, they’re here to eat. A man in a high vis jacket is huddled over a warm meal, while a young boy walks around with loaves of bread in his arms. Two women pick up tinned meals as one pushes a pram.
It’s a huge spread of people who, through homelessness, poverty or loneliness, have found themselves in need of a little help. They find that support at Feed Up Warm Up, founded by Shane in 2018 after that rainy evening in his food truck.
Donations aplenty at the Lamex Stadium on a rainy night in winter (Picture: Kirsten Robertson)
Although the charity is shaped by his background in catering, it also stems from Shane’s own experience with living on the streets.
‘I had a challenging childhood, to say the least,’he explains. ‘I went into foster care at 11 and lived in homes up and down the country. I was always rebelling.
‘At 15, I went to live with my dad who, before, I hadn’t had a relationship with. That lasted four months before I had to leave due to violence. Then I ended up in a squat in Devon which ended up being burned down. I was on the streets from November 2005 to January 2006.’
He continues: ‘That Christmas I never opened a present or pulled a cracker. I remember spending the day watching families walk past me. There were kids on new rollerblades, speeding past on skateboards. Their lives were carrying on, mine was on pause. For three months I was homeless. I contemplated suicide, developed a class A drug addiction, I was down and out basically. It was game over for me.’
There were 40,685 homelessness applications to councils in 2023-24, up 4% in a year (Picture: Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Luckily, Shane was offered a lifeline. A man named Mike, from the charity The Freedom Centre, met him on the streets and encouraged him to come to church. After a two-hour service, Shane was asked if he was interested in rehab. He said yes and, paid for by the charity, transformed his life and embarked on catering courses.
After leaving rehab, he met future wife – Angie – and relocated from Devon to Letchworth in Hertfordshire to work as a chef. In 2016, he founded his food truck.
After scribbling his ideas down in the rain in October 2018, within a month Shane had put them into action. He mobilised a group of volunteers and in just a few weeks, had begun to distribute free food to vulnerable people across the town of Hitchin in Hertfordshire. The charity has since expanded to help people in nearby Stevenage.
‘We help people who have suffered abuse, sexual violence, domestic violence, sexual trafficking. There’s been refugees and asylum seekers through the door, they carry really sad stories. Sometimes elderly people tell us coming here is the highlight of their week. When I hear that, I know I need to do everything it takes to last another year.’
The number of children living in poverty across areas in Hertfordshire (Picture: Metro.co.uk)
Feed Up Warm Up volunteers are kept busy; there are 89 people at this week’s drop in in Stevenage. One of these people was Caitlin*, who speaks to Metro on a very special day. After six years using the service, today is her first trial shift as a volunteer with the charity.
‘At 17 I was six months pregnant and found myself homeless over winter. The council wouldn’t help me, I was alone,’ Caitlin*, 23, explains. ‘Then I discovered Feed Up Warm Up. They got me a tent, food, without them I really don’t know what would have happened to me. I would have suffered a lot more. Shane even paid for a hotel for me to stay in at one point.
‘Last week I told myself “I don’t want to be a client anymore, I want to give back.” So it’s my first trial shift today. I think it’s going pretty well.’
As well as offering food at drop-in sessions, charity staff find hotel rooms for vulnerable people, provide essentials like beds for people moving into a flat for the first time and give free haircuts.
They also receive contributions from across the local community and from independent companies such as Tops Pizza, Mr Spud and Misya Meze Grill. Local celebrity ‘Nala the Station Cat’ has also made a special visit to oversee tinned donations in Stevenage.
Shane with footballer David James who has long supported the charity (Picture: Feed Up Warm Up)
Meanwhile, former England goalkeeper David James is the celebrity ambassador for Feed Up Warm Up, and has appeared on shows like Pointless and Catchpoint to raise money for the charity.
An army of volunteers, nicknamed the Orange Army due to the brightly coloured tops they wear, also support Shane in his mission to make a difference.
One of them is Liam Shields, a senior sales executive at Astute Electronics Ltd who spends one evening a week working with the charity. He discovered it quite by accident while driving home from work two-and-half years ago.
‘I noticed a sea of orange t-shirts outside the Lamex Stadium and wondered, what are these people doing?’ Liam tells Metro. ‘To begin with, I started to volunteer in the foodbank and then built a connection with the clients. Now my role is like a “buddy”, people here know I’m a safe person to talk to. Sometimes our conversations start with a simple question like “how was your day?” or “what do you have for dinner?.”
‘Seeing people walk out here with a smile on their face is why I do this. That’s when I think “job done.” Everyone’s story is different, and I know it is cliche but you can’t judge a book by its cover.’
The ‘Orange Army’ help bring support to people in need (Picture: Feed Up Warm Up)
Shane Cole hopes the Feed Up Warm Up model can expand into other areas (Picture: Kirsten Robertson)
Feed Up Warm Up’s team have won accolades at the Comet Community Awards as well as the Pride of Stevenage Awards in recent years. Shane no longer runs his food truck, as he now needs to put his full efforts into the charity.
Moving forward, he hopes to grow into other counties in England and, one day when money allows, create a dedicated space to rehabilitate homeless people and give them the support they need to return to ‘normal life.’
Shane continues: ‘No matter how big the charity gets, one thing we’ll never do is means-test. I’ve spoken to people who had to show three months worth of bank statements to get food. With that, straight away your dignity and self respect is thrown out the window.
‘We were offered £25,000 of funding once if it was means-tested, and I turned it down, because I knew I couldn’t offer this service to everyone if I took it. I want this to be for everyone. When I was 17 and homeless I went to a soup kitchen and they asked me about 20 questions before I could get any food. It felt like a police interrogation.
‘So now, I treat people how I’d like to be treated, and people trust us because of that.’
Christmas can be anything but relaxing for many families (Picture: Getty Images)
Christmas can be an expensive affair as many want to treat their loved ones or visit family and friends.
Many have been budgeting to try to be able to afford all the additional expenses this festive period on top of the daily necessities.
Christmas time can be particularly stressful for those relying on state benefits or a pension, and the ongoing cost of living crisis is not helping.
Some pensioners have reported not being able to afford the festivities this year, with some saying the government’s winter fuel allowance cut has made the situation worse.
But knowing when payments will be made might ease the anxiety a bit.
The DWP is responsible for most of the UK benefits (Picture: Mike Kemp/Getty Images)
Here is a roundup of the upcoming Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HMRC payment dates.
When are benefits paid over Christmas?
With Christmas and New Year’s Eve falling in the middle of the week this year, many payments are likely to be made on the previous working day, according to iNews.
There are also differences between England and Scotland payment dates.
Attendance allowance
The allowance, which is paid to those with a long-term physical or mental condition or disability, is usually paid monthly.
When the payment is due on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day or Friday, December 27, recipients can expect the money on Christmas Eve, December 24.
In Scotland, the money will be paid on New Year’s Eve if the payment due date is January 2, according to the outlet.
Carers allowance
Next up is the carers allowance which is usually paid weekly in advance or every four weeks.
For payments due Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day or Friday 27 December, money should appear on the bank account on Christmas Eve. Allowance due on New Year’s Day should be paid on New Year’s Eve, December 31.
In Scotland, payments due January 2 should be made on New Year’s Eve.
Child benefit
Payments – usually done every four weeks or weekly depending on the situation – are generally made on a Monday or Tuesday.
For those with a payment due date on Tuesday, Christmas Eve, the payment is set to be made that day.
If the due date is Tuesday, New Year’s Eve, the payment date is that day (December 31).
Disability living allowance
Similar to the other benefits, the disability living allowance payment date is on Christmas Eve if the due date is either Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day or Friday 27 December this year.
Meanwhile, payments due on New Year’s Day (England) and January 2 (Scotland) will be made the day before on New Year’s Eve.
Employment and support allowance
This allowance is generally paid every two weeks.
Payments will be made on Christmas Eve if the due date is either Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day or Friday 27 December.
If the payment date is New Year’s Day (England) or January 2 (Scotland), it should be made on New Year’s Eve.
Income support
Income support is paid to individuals on low or no income who receive financial help but are not unemployed.
For payments due Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day or Friday 27 December, money should appear on the bank account on Christmas Eve.
If the due date is New Year’s Day, which is a bank holiday, or January 2 (Scotland), the payment should be made on New Year’s Eve.
Jobseeker’s allowance
Payments will be made on Christmas Eve if the due date is either Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day or Friday 27 December.
If the payment date is New Year’s Day or January 2 (Scotland), it should be made on New Year’s Eve.
Jobseekers allowance is typically paid fortnightly.
What about pension payment dates over Christmas?
State pension and pension credit payments are typically made every four weeks
For state pension, the exact date depends on your National Insurance number, according to iNews
The NI numbers and payment dates this week are:
00 to 19: Monday
20 to 39: Tuesday
40 to 59: Wednesday
60 to 79: Thursday
80 to 99: Friday
When a payment due date falls on a bank holiday, payments will be made on the previous working day.
Maternity allowance
Recipients are paid every two or four weeks.
Similar to other benefits, if the payment date is Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day or December 27, payments are made on Christmas Eve so that people don’t have to wait until after the bank holiday.
New Year’s Day payments and January 2 payments (Scotland) will be made on New Year’s Eve.
Personal independence payment (PIP)
The PIP is typically paid every four weeks.
For payments due Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day or Friday 27 December, money should appear on the bank account on Christmas Eve.
If the due date is New Year’s Day, which is a bank holiday, or January 2 (Scotland), the payment should be made on New Year’s Eve.
Tax credits including working tax credit
Tax credits, which are paid every four weeks or weekly by the HMRC, are paid on Christmas Eve if the due date is Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Boxing Day this year.
However, in Northern Ireland, the payment will be made on Christmas Eve if the due date is Friday.
For payments due January 2, the payment date is New Year’s Eve.
Universal Credit
Universal Credit is paid monthly and the payment dates this year a bit different to many other benefits.
Payments due on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day or Boxing Day should be done on Christmas Eve, while payments with a due date on Friday, December 27, are made that day.
If the payment is due on New Year’s Day, it should be paid the previous day on New Year’s Eve.
Recipientsi in Scotland with a payment date on January 2 can expect it to be made on that day.
A patients’ charity attacked the hikes as unfailry penalising people who are unwell (Picture: Getty)
At least a quarter of NHS trusts in England have increased the cost of parking in the two years to March 2024.
The hikes were criticised by a patients’ charity who accused bosses of unfairly penalised people who are sick.
But health experts said hospitals are ‘under huge financial pressure’ and simply cannot afford to maintain car parks free of charge.
Some 37 trusts – 25% of the 147 in England – said they had raised the price of parking at some point between April 2022 and March 2024.
While 122 of the 147 trusts responded to the FoI request, 25 did not, meaning the actual number who upped their charges may be higher.
There were 65 trusts – 44% of the 147 in England – who said there had been no increases during the two-year period.
Saffron Cordery, interim chief executive of NHS Providers, said: ‘NHS trusts – most of whom are under huge financial pressure – just couldn’t afford to maintain car parks without charging people to use them.
‘The last thing trusts want to do is have to divert money away from patient services.
‘City centre and urban hospital car parks where spaces are in great demand are a particular challenge.’
Health experts said hospitals are ‘under huge financial pressure’ and simply cannot afford to maintain car parks free of charge (Picture: Getty)
However, Rachel Power, chief executive of the Patients Association, a charity supporting the interests of all patients and their families, claims charges ‘unfairly penalise’ unwell people.
‘With car parking charges increasing again this year at many NHS hospital sites, patients and their families are facing an even greater financial strain,’ she said.
‘The ongoing cost-of-living crisis is already pushing many households to the brink, and these charges unfairly penalise people simply for being unwell and needing access to essential healthcare.’
Here’s a list of the NHStrusts where the charges have increased, according to data compiled from Freedom of Information requests.
– Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Charges were increased from February 1, 2023. Up to 20 minutes remained free, while stays of up to two hours, two to three hours, three to four hours and four to five hours all increased by 50p to £4.50, £5.50, £6.50 and £7.50 respectively. Stays of five to six hours and the weekly rate remained the same. Charges for stays of more than six hours increased by £1 to £10.
– Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust
Charges were increased from February 1, 2023. Up to 20 minutes remained free, with charges for up to two hours, two to three hours, three to four hours and four to five hours increasing by 50p to £4.50, £5.50, £6.50 and £7.50 respectively. The day rate of more than six hours increased by £1 to £10. Tariffs for five to six hours remained the same (£8), as did the weekly rate (£25).
– Barts Health NHS Trust
Tariffs were increased for patients and visitors during the period at Newham Hospital only. Up to one hour was a new charge at £2. Up to three hours increased by 70p to £3.70, while up to six hours increased by £1 to £7. Charges for an eight-hour stay and up to 24 hours remained the same at £8 and £16.50 respectively.
– Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The trust increased prices on July 1, 2023. Stays of two hours, two to three hours and three to six hours all increased by 20p to £2.70, £3.20 and £4.20 respectively. Six to 24 hours increased by 30p to £6.30.
– East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
The trust increased primary care tariffs and charges at Ipswich Hospital in August 2022, followed by Colchester Hospital in January 2023. Up to 30 minutes at both hospitals remained free, although charges for one, two and four hours increased by 20p, 30p and 50p respectively to £2.20, £3.30 and £4.50.
There was a £5.50 charge introduced for five hours and a £10 charge for 24 hours. The price of an eight-hour stay increased to £6.50 from £5.
However, a five-day pass was cheaper at £12, down from £15, while a seven-day pass was £4 cheaper at £14. In primary care, one hour was free, with two hours costing 30p more at £3.30. A stay of four hours increased by 50p to £4.50, eight hours was £1.50 dearer at £6.50 and 24 hours was £2 dearer at £12. A five-day pass was £1 dearer at £16, although the price of a seven-day pass remained the same at £18.
– East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
Tariffs were increased from January 2024:
Up to one hour – Up by 20p to £2
One to two hours – Up by 20p to £3.60
Two to three hours – Up by 25p to £5.20
Three to four hours – Up by 35p to £7
Four to five hours – Up by 40p to £8.50
Five to six hours – Up by £1 to £10.20
Six to 12 hours – Up by £1.10 to £11.80
Twelve to 24 hours – Up by 85p to £18.30
– Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
In 2022/23, the trust increased charges for up to two hours from £3.30 to £3.50. In 2023/24, the tariff for up to two hours increased to £3.80, while three to four hours went up from £5.50 to £6 and a four to five-hour stay increased from £6.50 to £7.
– Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Up to 20 minutes remained free, with the charge for up to one hour increased from £1.10 to £1.50 in 2023/24. Elsewhere:
One to two hours – up by 80p to £3
Two to three hours – up by £1.20 to £4.50
Three to four hours – up by £1.60 to £6
Four to five hours – up £2 to £7.50
Five to six hours – up £2.20 to £10
After 6pm, charges for up to two hours increased by 40p to £1.50, while more than two hours is £1 dearer at £3.
– Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
There was a change in durations and charges from December 1, 2022. Up to 30 minutes remained free, while tariffs for up to one hour increased by 20p to £2. The trust stopped charging on the half hour, instead charging on the hour. For example, there was no longer a £2.80 charge for one hour 30 minutes. The tariff changed to one to two hours at a cost of £3. Elsewhere, the £10 eight-to-24-hour stay changed to 12 to 24 hours at a cost of £16.
– Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The trust increased its prices for visitors by 3.9%, which it said was in line with inflation.
– Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
The trust increased the price of staff permits as well as tariffs for visitors.
The price of a standard £30 staff permit, for example, went up by 2.3% to £32.24. Hourly charges were also increased across its sites, including Leeds General Infirmary and St James’s University Hospital.
– London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust
Hourly tariffs were increased by a total of 2.6%, while concessions, including weekly passes, went up by 1.0%. There was no increase to charges for patients having chemotherapy.
– Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
Prices were increased from 2023. Up to 30 minutes remained free, with a charge of £2.50 introduced for 30 minutes to one hour. Elsewhere, stays of two to four hours, four to six hours and six to eight hours previously cost £4, £6 and £8 respectively, but charges for stays of two to three hours (£4), three to four hours (£5), four to five hours (£6), five to six hours (£7) and six to seven hours (£8) were introduced.
The trust previously charged £10 for stays of eight to 10 hours. Now, a stay of seven to 10 hours costs £10, while 10 to 16 hours is £12 and 16 to 24 hours is £15.
– Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
The trust said it aligned its car parking tariffs for patients and visitors across all its hospital sites following the reinstatement of parking charges post-Covid.
– Medway NHS Foundation Trust
The trust increased charges for stays of up to two hours, two to three hours, three to four hours and four to five hours by 20p, 30p, 40p and 50p respectively to £2.20, £3.30, £4.40 and £5.50. Stays of between five and 24 hours remained the same at £10.
– Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Charges did not increase for patients during the period. However, the trust did change its staff charging structure, meaning some worker tariffs increased and others were reduced. Band seven staff and above were charged more for permits.
– Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
According to its disclosure log, the trust increased tariffs. The charge for 15 minutes to one hour went up by 10p to £2.80, a three-hour stay increased by 20p to £3.70, up to six hours went up by 20p to £5, up to eight hours increased by 20p to £5.50, while up to 24 hours increased by 40p to £11. A weekly ticket is now £21, up from £20, and a lost ticket costs £11, up from £10.60.
– North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust
The trust increased the tariff at its long-stay car park at the University Hospital of North Tees from December 1, 2023. The rate had previously been £2 per 14 hours and was increased to £2.50 per 14 hours. All other parking rates remained unchanged from 2022/23 to 2023/24.
– North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust
Tariffs increased by 20p per hourly session at Hinchingbrooke Hospital and Peterborough City Hospital, but charges were not increased at Stamford and Rutland Hospital.
– Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust
The trust increased tariffs for staff and patients during the period. For the public, up to one hour went from £2.40 to £2.70, one to two hours increased from £3.90 to £4.40, two to four hours went up from £4.40 to £5 and more than four hours increased from £4.90 to £5.50.
Off-site barrier charges for staff increased from £8.50 to £9.60, while off-site non-barrier charges increased from £9.45 to £10.60. The charge for on-site barrier car parks went up from £25.50 to £28.40.
– Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The trust increased tariffs for patients and visitors at John Radcliffe Hospital, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre and Churchill Hospital on August 1, 2023. Up to 30 minutes remained free, although 30 minutes to one hour increased from £1.40 to £2.20. A one to two-hour stay was 10p cheaper at £2.70, as well as a two to three-hour stay which went from £4.20 to £3.70. Three to four hours increased from £5.60 to £6.20 and the cost for more than four hours went up by £1 to £8. Stays between 8pm and 8am were previously free but now cost £2.
– Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
According to the trust, staff are charged 1.25% when they park on site. It added that a 10% increase in 2023 ‘was based on the fact that the patient tariff had not been increased for four years’ and therefore ‘10% was a fair increase based on inflation’.
– Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
The trust increased the costs of its staff permits and parking charges for visitors. A multi-site pass and a pass for the Royal Free Hospital increased from £94.28 to £99.84 per month for full-time staff from April 1, 2023. Part-time staff are charged £49.82, up from £47.14. Tariffs for off-peak and weekend parking also increased slightly.
The staff permit tariff at Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals is charged based on a percentage of salary. These percentages increased from 0.84% to 0.89% for full-time staff and 0.42% to 0.45% for part-time staff at both sites. For patients, hourly charges were increased across all three hospitals from December 1, 2023.
– Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
One hour £3.70 increased to £3.90
Two hours £4.70 increased to £4.90
Three hours £5.30 increased to £5.60
Four hours £5.80 increased to £6.10
Six hours £6.80 increased to £7.10
Twenty-four hours £9.80 increased to £10.30
– Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust
Charges were increased by 4%.
– Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
Tariffs for patients and visitors increased on January 15, 2024. Stays of up to two hours, two to three hours, three to six hours and six to 10 hours all increased by 50p each to £5, £6, £7, and £8 respectively. Stays of between 10 and 24 hours increased from £6 to £13.
For staff, charges were reintroduced on June 1, 2023 and are banded by annual salary. Those earning £23,000 or below pay 50p a day, while those on between £23,500 and £47,600 pay £1.25 a day. Workers on the highest salaries of £48,000 or above pay £1.80 a day.
– The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Tariffs were increased in October 2022. Up to 30 minutes is free, up from 15 minutes, although charges for up to one hour increased from £1.20 to £2. One to two hours increased from £2.40 to £4, two to three hours increased from £3.60 to £6 and three to four hours increased from £4.80 to £8.
A standard tariff for four to five hours is £12, up from £6, but will cost patients £8. A standard charge is £18 for five to 24 hours, but is £8 for patients. Previously, the standard charge for five to six hours and six to 24 hours was £7.20.
– The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
Stays of less than 15 minutes remained free but there was a 20p increase for stays of up to one hour, one to two hours, two to three hours and four to five hours.
– Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust
The trust changed its prices for patients and visitors from November 2023.
Up to 30 minutes – previously 20 minutes – was now free, with up to one hour costing £1.50. The price for two hours increased from £2.50 to £2.70, three hours was now £3.90, up from £3.50, and four hours cost £4.80, up from £4.50. The price for stays of five hours and six hours remained the same. The charge for between seven and 24 hours was £15, with the £10.50 tariff for eight hours no longer available.
– University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust
The trust upped charges for its short and long-stay car parks from September 2023. At the short stay, up to one hour increased by 20p, stays of up to two and three hours increased by 40p to £4.90 and £5.90 respectively, while up to four hours increased by 50p to £7. Stays of up to five hours increased from £7.50 to £8.10, and six hours went from £8.50 to £9.20. Stays of between six and 12 hours increased by £1 to £14 and between 12 and 24 hours is now £17.30, up from £16.
At the long-stay sites, there was no change to the charge for seven days. Stays of 14 days increased from £38.50 to £41.60 and 30 days was now £59.40, up from £55.
– University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
Up to 40 minutes was free, while up to two hours cost £3.50. The trust previously charged £1.80 for up to one hour and £3.40 for one to two hours.
A two to four hour stay was now £6, up 20p, while four to six hours increased by 20p to £7.30. A six to eight-hour stay remained the same at £12 while eight to 24 hours went up by £1 to £16.
– University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust
Tariffs were increased at University Hospital in Coventry and Hospital of St Cross in Rugby. At University Hospital up to 10 minutes remained free. Up to one hour increased by 40p to £3.60, two hours went from £4.40 to £5, three hours increased by 70p to £5.70 and four hours went up by 80p to £6.80. Stays of five hours increased by £1.10 to £8.90, up to six hours is £11, up from £9.70 and a 24-hour stay increased from £11 to £12.50.
At Hospital of St Cross, up to 30 minutes remained free. Up to three hours increased by 30p to £2.30, while up to five hours increased from £4.80 to £5.50. The tariff for up to 24 hours was now £9.70, up from £8.50.
– University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust
The price of a two-hour stay increased by 40p, while stays of three, four and six hours increased by 30p, 40p and 20p respectively. There was no change to prices for a 24-hour stay, although overnight – between 6pm and 7am – increased by £1.
– Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
In 2023/34, the trust increased parking for up to one hour to £3.30 from £3.
One to two hours increased from £4 to £4.30, two to three hours increased from £4.50 to £4.80, three to four hours increased from £5 to £5.80, and four to five hours increased from £5.50 to £5.80. There was no change to charges for 5-6 hours, 6-7 hours, 7-8 hours, 8-9 hours, 9-10 hours, 10-11 hours, 11-12 hours, 12-24 hours, or a weekly pass.
– Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
One hour – up by 30p to £3.30
Two hours – up by 40p to £4.40
Three hours – up by 50p to £5.50
Four hours – up by 60p to £6.60
Five hours – up by 65p to £7.15
Six hours – up by 75p to £8.25
Eight hours – up by 85p to £9.35
Twenty-four hours – up by 90p to £9.90
– Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust
Charges increased at the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, Leigh Infirmary and the Freckleton Street multi-storey in November 2022. Drop-offs and up to 30 minutes remained free, stays of up to two hours increased by 30p to £3.30, two to four hours and four to 24 hours increased by 50p to £5.50 and £7 respectively.
Charges at Wrightington Hospital and the Thomas Linacre Centre also increased in November 2022. Drop offs at up to 30 minutes remained free, while stays of up to one hour and one to two hours increased by 30p each to £2 and £3. Two to four hours and four to 24 hours increased by 50p each to £5.50 and £7.
– York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
The trust said charges were brought in line with nearby council car parks at its York, Scarborough and Bridlington sites as part of the installation of automatic number plate registrations in April 2023.
In York, up to one hour increased by 30p to £2.50, with a 60p increase for two hours (£5), a £1.10 increase for three hours (£7.50) and a 20p increase for four hours to £9. All-day passes increased by 10p to £10.
In Scarborough, one hour increased by 25p to £1.45, two hours increased by 40p to £2.90, three hours went from £3.50 to £4.35 and four hours increased from £4.50 to £5.80. An all-day pass increased by £1.20 to £7.20.
In Bridlington, stays of up to an hour were 20p cheaper at £1. Stays of two, three and four hours remained the same and an all-day pass was made 60p cheaper at £5.40.
Thousands of people have said they are concerned about their bills increasing (Picture: AFP)
Tens of thousands of pensioners will not receive the winter fuel payment this Christmas due to a massive backlog in claims, forcing them to fend for themselves as temperatures plummet.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is grappling with waves of new claims for pension credit after Chancellor Rachel Reeves said in July that those receiving the benefit will also be entitled to the winter fuel allowance.
The DWP faced a backlog of more than 91,000 claims in mid-November, with around 9,400 being processed each week, Government figures show.
As more pensioners hoping to avoid fuel poverty this Christmas scramble to apply for the benefit, the backlog of tens of thousands of claims is expected to drag into the New Year.
The DWP said it has hired 500 additional staff to speed up the processing of the enormous pile of claims.
Protesters hold placards and a banner while campaigning for the reversal of the winter fuel payment cuts to pensioners (Photo: EPA)
The Government hopes that the policy, which is expected to save £2.8bn, will help it cope with the £22bn ‘black hole’ in public finances which Labour says was left behind by the Conservatives.
After the cuts were revealed on 29 July, the Government launched a campaign urging those entitled to pension credit to apply for it so that they could also receive the winter fuel allowance.
However, the campaign backfired as the number of pension credit claims surged, lowering the amount of savings the Treasury could make below what it had originally anticipated.
Research from the Policy in Practice consultancy has shown that there could be 158,000 more claims than predicted ahead of the pension credit deadline in December, costing the Treasury an additional £246m.
Pensioners have said they feel ‘utterly betrayed’ by the Labour Government – a sentiment toppled by its decision to rule out compensation for Waspi women who were not informed about changes to their state pension age.
Around 3.6 million Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi), born between 1950 and 1960, were negatively impacted after the DWP failed to inform them that their state pension age would rise from 60 to 65.
Waspi campaigner Frances Neil, 71, said that, on top of having her winter fuel allowance cut, she missed out on pension payments ‘in the region of £30,000’ as a result of the changes.
Ms Neil said that being denied compensation after having her winter fuel allowance cut ‘just piles unhappiness and financial stress upon unhappiness and financial stress.
She told Metro:’It just feels like you’re being kicked when you’re down.’
Frances Neil, 71, said that she missed out on pension payments ‘in the region of £30,000’ (Photo: supplied)
‘We’ve been utterly betrayed,’ Ms Neil said. ‘The Labour Party were happy to use their support for us when they were electioneering.
‘It was [Keir] Starmer who said the Tory Government was kicking the can down the road with compensating us. Angela Rayner said we should get compensation for this utterly awful situation.
Labour’s decision to rule out compensation for Waspi women came after a damning report by the parliamentary ombudsman found that the DWP failed to properly communicate changes to the state pension age.
The watchdog called for each Waspi woman to be paid up to £2,950 in compensation, costing the Government as much as £10.5bn.
However, Labour rejected the ombudsman’s findings, saying women affected knew about the changes to the state pension age and that sending more letters would not have made a difference.
‘We cannot accept that in the great majority of cases, sending a letter earlier would have affected whether women knew their state pension age was rising,’ Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said.
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall defending the winter fuel payment cuts before the Work and Pensions Select Committee (Photo: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Wire)
‘The Government does not believe paying a flat rate to all women at a cost of up to £10.5bn would be a fair or proportionate use of taxpayers’ money.
‘Not least when the previous Government failed to set aside a single penny for any compensation scheme and when they left us a £22bn black hole in the public finances.’
With everything from the cost of energy bills to the average weekly shop continually rising, many Brits may be concerned about how Christmas will impact their spending.
There are many ways families can save money on their bills going into winter, but many may not have accounted for how Christmas decorations stack up against other household appliances.
While you can get solar and battery-powered Christmas lights, many rely on being plugged into the electricity mains to work, meaning they add to your bills.
Various factors will affect the cost (Picture: Getty Images)
How long you have your lights on and how many bulbs you have will affect the cost, but using nationwide averages can give you a rough idea.
According to Ideal Home, the typical UK family has their Christmas lights on for six hours per day.
On average a 100-count string of incandescent mini lights runs at 40 watts, and with most people using two strings, that adds up to 80 watts (W) or 0.08 kilowatts (kW).
If your lights were left on for six hours a day, with the electricity unit price now at 24.5p per kWh from October, that means the daily cost to run Christmas lights would be just under 12p per day.
The cost of Christmas lights is unlikely to break the bank (Picture: Getty Images)
This means that for a month, it would cost £3.53 to have Christmas lights on for six hours per day, based on the equation 0.48 (output over six hours per day) x 0.245 (cost) x 30 (days).
Bear in mind, this figure doesn’t include the 61p daily minimum standing charge, your other festive energy consumption, or your specific energy tariff.
If you want to cut costs on your decorations, using LED lights can dramatically cut your costs.
In fact, Martin Lewis claims that where incandescent lights cost 1p an hour per 100 bulbs, LED lights are far cheaper at around 1p every 12 hours for the same number of bulbs.
This article was first published on November 27, 2023.
Regulator Ofwat will decide on December 19 how much water providers like Thames Water can increase bills over the next five years.
Campaign groups have crunched the numbers and found that for Thames Water to secure enough funding to stay afloat, every household will have to cough up £263 more a year.
One in four people in the UK rely on Thames for their supply.
Matthew Topham, lead campaigner for We Own It, which campaigns against privatisation, toldMetro: ‘Privatisation at Thames Water has led to a huge financial and sewage crisis. The shareholders and creditors are lurching from one emergency deal to another.
‘This latest plan could see a huge bailout fee added to household bills to prop up ongoing privatisation.
‘Instead, this moment gives the government the opportunity to take control of the crisis and protect the public and our rivers.’
One in four people use Thames (Picture: Getty Images)
While Thames Water bosses received £770,000 in bonuses, the company has asked the public to foot the bill.
Between rising bills and increasingly polluted rivers, water firms have become a target of public anger in recent years (Picture: Getty Images)
Thames Water has asked Ofwat to let it hike bills by 53% to £667 a year to make the firm more ‘investible’.
Whether Thames secures a financial lifeline – what it calls a ‘liquidity extension’ – will come down to two court dates this month and next.
The utility company’s debt, which has piled up since it privatised in 1989, will swell to £17,900,000,000 by the end of next March.
Thames Water said: ‘The proposed liquidity extension will not change what we are asking for in our draft determination response and the proposed increase in customer bills over the next five years.’
