Officials with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have issued an update on the £10 Christmas Bonus - after persistent campaigning for an increase. The Christmas Bonus is a single payment of £10 given to recipients of certain benefits during the qualifying week, typically the first week of December.
Those expecting it can anticipate receiving it at the beginning of next month. This updates comes amidst calls for a boost to the bonus, which has remained unchanged since its inception in the 1970s.
Over 20,000 individuals have backed a petition demanding a raise, citing rising living costs and more restrictive eligibility for other benefits like the winter fuel payment. Shona McMahon, started the petition said: "Christmas is the most expensive time of the year. Pensioners, the vulnerable and people like myself, disabled, could do with an extra boost at this time of year, especially as the energy assistance has been axed."
BirminghamLive reports how in response, a DWP spokesperson said: "We know that Christmas is a time when people stretch their budgets, which is why we pay many people their benefits earlier than usual, helping them prepare for the festive period. We're focused on supporting people year-round through a new system which offers better personalised support for people out of work as well as those in work on a low income."
"We are taking immediate action to turn around the dire inheritance we face - with more people living in poverty now than 14 years ago. This includes extending the Household Support Fund for the most vulnerable, kickstarting work to develop a strategy to reduce child poverty and taking the first steps towards delivering a genuine living wage for working people."
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