Household bills rise for millions of Britons as energy, water, car and TV licence increases take effect -‘Awful April’
Millions of Britons have today been hit with a series of household bill increases in what has been nicknamed “awful April”.
Household budgets are set to be squeezed across the country, as council tax, stamp duty, energy bills and water tariffs are among those set to be increased.
Car tax, broadband and TV licence fees are also all set to go up from today.
Charitable rate relief is removed from private schools in England from this month and Labour has kept in place the freeze on tax thresholds on income tax and National Insurance until 2028.
However, there is set to be an increase in the minimum wage and a rise in the majority of benefits.
Single parents are reportedly set to be hit the worst
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Household bills will be increased from today PA
Households in England and Wales will see their water bills increase by an “extortionate” average of £86 over the next year alone.
Regulator Ofwat has allowed companies to raise average bills by 36 per cent, or £157 in total, over the next five years, to £597 by 2030, to help finance a £104billion upgrade for the sector.
Millions of households will see a jump in their annual council tax bills from April 1, with most local authorities in England increasing a typical band D bill by five per cent, an increase of £109 to £2,280 from the 2024-25 figure of £2,171, although some councils have permission to impose hikes of up to 10 per cent.
They are Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, Newham in east London, Bradford in West Yorkshire, Birmingham, Somerset, and Trafford in Greater Manchester.
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Ofwat has said ‘most’ water companies will need to return around £193million to customers GETTY
Energy bills are among a number of outgoings which have soared
PA
The price of a standard colour TV licence rises by £5 to £174.50 a year. The price of a black and white licence will also go up from £57 to £58.50. You can claim a free TV licence if you are 75 or older and claim pension credit, or live with a partner who receives the benefit.
The standard rate of tax for cars registered after April 2017 will rise to £195 from the start of April, an increase of £5. Some owners may pay more, or less, if their car was first registered before 2017.
The rate is dependent on when a car was first registered and the type of fuel it consumes. Owners of electric vehicles (EVs) will be subject to car tax for the first time.
Any EVs registered since April 2025 will be subject to the lowest rate of tax of £10 in the first year, before moving to the standard rate of £195.
Taxpayers are struggling with the unsustainable burden of council taxPA
The annual energy bill for a household in England, Wales and Scotland on a variable tariff and using a typical amount of gas and electricity is going up by £111 a year to £1,849.
Chief executive of fuel poverty charity National Energy Action, Adam Scorer said: “Energy bills rising for a third time in a row is another blow for the millions of households struggling with the cost of energy and other essentials.
“A low-income household spending £1,849 a year or more on energy is not affordable.
“We already see the impacts of sustained high bills, total energy debt is at record levels and rising, and people have been rationing their heating to dangerous levels and going without essentials.”
Water bills have risen again
PA
Some customers will see rises in line with inflation, while others may face fixed hikes depending on when they signed up or upgraded.
For those on inflation-linked contracts, broadband prices will rise by an average of £21.99 annually, with some newer plans seeing increases of up to £42 a year, according to Uswitch.
Mobile users face similar increases, with an average increase of £15.90 for inflation-linked contracts, and up to £48 for newer deals.
House buyers in England and Northern Ireland will start paying stamp duty on properties over £125,000 in April, as opposed to the current baseline of £250,000. First-time buyers currently pay no stamp duty on homes up to £425,000, but this is set to drop to £300,000.
