As bills rise, here’s how to pay less

Households have been clobbered by this month’s so-called ‘price hike day’: Harry Brennan looks at how you can beat £206 average bill increases this year

Families across the country face a £6bn increase in the cost of living this Easter, as a raft of price rises come into effect at the start of a new financial year on what has been dubbed national “price hike day”.

Bigger bills for council tax, energy, TV licences and much more will cost average households an additional £206 and will mean a 10pc surge in living costs for almost 30 million people, according to comparison site Money. co.uk. It is a jump that far outstrips the current rate of inflation, which stands at 0.7pc. Some of the increases are unavoidable, but for many there are ways you can beat the rise.

Here is what changed on April 1 and how you can pay less.

COUNCIL TAX Council tax is rising by up to 5pc in n some areas and by 4.4pc for the typiypical Band-D property, upping costs sts by £81 on average. Some will pay almost £4,500 for properties in the highest tax bands. A third d of homes in the middle tax band and will pay more than £2,000, 0, up from one in ten the year before. efore.

Council tax is based on propperty values dating back to the early rly 1990s. Some have found to be wrong and resulted in refunds for entire streets. In other instances though some have been forced to pay more after querying their tax bands with the state valuation office ( see column, right). Single occupants of homes pay less and students are exempt.

TV LICENCE The cost of watching television has also gone up, with the annual cost of a TV licence rising 1pc to £159. Costs have gone up by almost 10pc since 2015 and from 2020 those aged over 75 have been forced to pay, as they no longer receive a licence for free.

You do not need a licence if you only ever watch on-demand or catchup programmes on services other than BBC iPlayer. Over-75s can still get a 100pc exemption from the licence fee if they are in receipt of pension credit and this will apply to everyone in the house no matter their age.

Blind people or anyone with “severe sight impairment” can claim a 50pc discount. Cheaper licences costing £7.50 are available for people living in care or sheltered housing and watching TV in their own room.

‘Customers stuck on default tariffs should switch now to lock in lower energy prices’

ENERGY The price cap for standard variable tariffs will jump to the equivalent of £1,138 a year for the next six months, the industry watchdog Ofgem has announced. This is a rise of £96 a year.

Around 10 million people will face bigger energy bills from this week because of the rises. Tom Lyon of the switching website energyhelpline.com said: “Customers stuck on default tariffs should switch now to lock in lower energy prices for the next 12 months.”

WATER Water bills are rising to £408 on average, up from £ 396 last year. Water prices have risen 6pc since 2015. Those who pay their bills based on average usage estimates may be able to save by having a water meter installed.

The Consumer Council for Water, a consumer body, has a free calculator online which estimates how much you could save with a meter, which you can request from your provider.

Most providers allow you to trial a meter for up to two years, during which time you can switch back to estimated readings if it turns out they are cheaper. Cutting usage will lead to lower costs.

PRESCRIPTIONS The average cost of prescribed medicines is rising to £ 9.35 from £ 9.15. This is a 14pc increase compared with 2015. Prepayment certificates, which are effectively a prescription “seasonticket”, can cut the cost. An annual certificate costs £105.90, but can save you up to £333.30 if you need four items a month. It will save you money if you need more than 11 items each year. A three-month certificate will save money for those buying more than three prescriptions over a three-month period.