Welsh: A cross-party Senedd committee has said,
it should be easier for people on lower incomes to apply for help to reduce the cost of living.

If the merits aren’t accessible to the needy then what of the use of it in the first place? It's like they have to undergo even more complications in the processing of the application and many miss out on cash from the welsh government.

Last week, the Welsh government announced more households would earn help with fuel bills. An additional 200,000 more low-income households in Wales will be offered a £200 payment, meaning 422,000 will be able to assert the cash this autumn under the Fuel Support Scheme, in addition to UK government assistance with energy bills.

As well as the Fuel Support Scheme, the Welsh government is funding a £150 cost of living support payment to households eligible for the Council Tax Reduction Scheme and all homes in council tax bands A to D.

There is also a Discretionary Assistance Fund and a Fuel Voucher Scheme for people on pre-payment meters, in addition to long-running programs such as free school meals and the Council Tax Reduction Scheme.

The committee's "cost of living pressures" report calls on the Welsh government to "accelerate work to bring together means-tested support schemes for low-income households through a Welsh benefits system".

It also suggests ministers "work towards developing a one-stop shop portal through which households across Wales can apply directly to their local authority for the different means-tested schemes that are available".

The report's 27 recommendations also include:

• Extending the eligibility criteria of its schemes to support households "just missing out"

• Establishing an emergency support funding program, working like the Covid support schemes, to help businesses most affected "through the peak of the cost of living pressures" with grants, low-cost loans, or a combination of both.

• Supporting businesses to invest in efficiency savings to help them lower fuel and energy costs.

Source: BBC