8 new laws and changes from April 2023 - including council tax, minimum wage and energy bills
Changes to council tax, benefit payments and household bills will take effect from April
A swathe of legal changes are set to come into force from April which will affect millions of people across the UK.
As the country enters a new tax year, benefits payments and pensions will go up, providing households a welcome boost as the cost of living crisis ontinues to bite.
The National Minimum Wage will increase from April, meaning millions of workers will benefit from a pay rise - although the 9.7% increase is still below inflation, which currently sits at 10.4%
Councils across the country will also raise taxes in April and several bills are set to increase, including water, broadband and mobile phones.
Elsewhere, new rules for voting in elections will soon be introduced and new cost of living payments will be issued to around eight million households.
Listed is a breakdown of eight impending changes and laws to expect from next month onwards.
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1. Council tax increase
From 1 April, most local authorities in England will increase council tax by 5%, meaning people living in a band D home can expect to pay about an extra £100 each year. Government figures released last week show the average bill will be £2,065 in 2023-24, an increase of £99 on the previous year. The biggest annual percentage rise will be in London, where bills for an average band D property will increase by 6.2%, although the capital’s average bill of £1,789 remains below other areas. Households in metropolitan areas outside London will see bills rise by 5.1% to an average of £2,059, while largely rural parts of the country will see an increase of 5% to just below £2,140.
2. Water bills will rise
The average household water bill will increase by 7.5% from April in the biggest rise in nearly two decades. The typical combined water bill in England and Wales will go up by an average of £31 a year to £448 - up from an average of £417 last year. In Scotland, households will see water and waste charges increase by an average of £19 a year (5%) from April.
3. Broadband and mobile phone bill hikes
Monthly broadband and mobile phone bills are due to rise between 14% and 17% from April. Providers typically link the annual price increase rises by taking December’s Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rate of inflation and adding 3.9 percentage points to it. If inflation is ever negative, only the 3.9% gets added. Some providers, including Virgin Mobile and O2, hike bills in line with the Retail Prices Index (RPI) which usually tracks slightly above the CPI as it is calculated differently.
4. Wages will go up
The new National Living Wage and National Minimum wage come into effect from April. The National Living Wage - for those aged 23 and over - will benefit around two million workers and will see hourly wage rates rise from £9.50 to £10.42 - an increase of 92p. It means a £1,600 pay rise for a full-time worker. The National Minimum Wage, for those 23 and under, will also go up and the hourly rate depends on your age and whether you are an apprentice. Those aged between 21 and 22 will see their pay rise by £1, with rates increasing from £9.18 to £10.18. Workers aged 18 to 20 will get a 66p increase and see hourly rates rise from £6.83 to £7.49, while those under 18 and apprentices will get a 47p hourly increase, from £4.81 to £5.28.