Housing news

Eligible members could receive a gift card worth up to £85 through qualifying dual fuel offers

Workers in more than 30 professions could unlock savings on energy and household bills ahead of the forthcoming October energy price cap rise, thanks to Blue Light Card. As households brace themselves for an increase in energy bills on Thursday, 1 October, frontline workers stand to benefit from switching incentives worth up to £85.

With Ofgem’s energy price cap due to rise by 4% this week, household budgets are expected to come under even greater strain. The increase will push the annual Ofgem Energy Price Cap to £1,723 for a typical dual-fuel household paying by direct debit — a rise of £60 per year (approximately £5 per month) from the previous cap of £1,663.

Despite this, workers across the emergency services, NHS, social care, teaching profession, armed forces, and beyond could be missing out on incentives worth up to £85 when switching energy providers. To help alleviate the pressure on household budgets, Blue Light Card is offering a variety of switching deals and incentives across leading energy suppliers, including an exclusive offer with EDF, reports the Mirror.

Who is eligible for Blue Light Card membership?

NHS and healthcare

• NHS workers
• Dental practice staff
• Pharmacy workers
• Optometrists

Emergency services

• Ambulance service
• Fire service / Retired fire service
• HM Coastguard
• Blood Bikes
• Mountain Rescue
• 4×4 Response
• Red Cross

Police and justice

• Police
• HM Prison and Probation Services
• MoD Police
• Home Office

Armed forces

• British Army
• Royal Navy
• Royal Marines
• Royal Air Force
• HM Armed Forces Veterans
• MoD Civil Servants
• MoD Fire Service

Teaching and education

• Teaching community
• Retired teaching community

Social care and community

• Social care workers
• Retired social care workers
• Residential care workers
• Homelessness workforce
• Volunteers

Search, rescue and highways

• Search and Rescue
• Highways England Traffic Officers

Top three utility savings for homeowners from Blue Light Card:

EDF – £55 gift card when choosing an eligible dual fuel tariff

• Exclusive to Blue Light Card members, receive a £55 gift card when choosing an eligible dual-fuel tariff with EDF. Available to new and existing customers.
• Members can choose their gift card from Amazon, Merlin, Aldi, Tesco, ASOS, or The Restaurant Group. Offer subject to T&Cs.

ScottishPower – £85 Amazon gift card when switching to a dual fuel tariff

• Members can receive an £85 Amazon gift card when switching to a dual fuel tariff. Available to new and existing customers.
• To qualify, you must click through from Blue Light Card to ScottishPower and complete your purchase via the provided link. T&Cs apply.

Uswitch – £50 gift card when choosing a dual fuel tariff

• New and existing customers are eligible to receive a £50 Amazon gift card when switching to a dual fuel energy tariff
• Available to Blue Light Card members. T&Cs apply.

Steffie Brader, Head of Strategic Partnerships, said: “With changes to the energy price cap coming this autumn, frontline workers are facing continued pressure on household budgets. It’s more important than ever to double-check you’re on the right energy tariff and not paying more than you need to.

“Taking a few minutes to review your current deal and see if there’s a better option could help reduce your monthly costs and ease some of the pressure on household budgets. Switching provider or tariff might feel like a small change, but everyday changes can make a meaningful difference to household budgets over time.

“With a range of savings and incentives available with Blue Light Card, making the switch could also help offset some of the cost pressures many households are facing.”

Steffie emphasises that the gift card incentive should not be the main reason for switching; consumers should compare the full tariff cost before making the change. Independent comparison tools such as Ofgem-accredited services are available. Visit the Blue Light Card website for more information on exclusive discounts and deals.

What is a Blue Light Card?

Blue Light Card is the UK’s dedicated rewards scheme for emergency services personnel, NHS staff, armed forces members, teachers and social care workers. With over 15,000 partners at both national and local levels, Blue Light Card serves as a gesture of appreciation towards the everyday heroes who work relentlessly to keep us safe, healthy and supported.

For just £4.99, members gain access to a wide range of benefits, including exclusive tickets and experiences, member days and special events. This is on top of an extensive calendar of deals from major brands such as JD Sports, Samsung, Odeon, Jet2holidays, Debenhams, Apple, Boohoo, Five Guys, Currys, EE and Halfords.

Blue Light Card members collectively saved more than £500 million in 2025. Blue Light Card is also proud to support the Blue Light Card Foundation, which funds essential projects across the UK for those within the Blue Light community facing difficult circumstances, providing crucial resources to support both physical and mental well-being.

Not everyone will want to pay an extra £11 monthly fee, with concerns being raised

The BBC TV Licence fee could be swapped out for a new monthly charge added to household broadband bills, according to a think tank suggestion. The £11 suggestion is one of a number of ideas put forward as the wider conversation continues about how the BBC might be funded in the future.

The suggestion comes as the Social Market Foundation (SMF) floated the idea of a universal “Home Internet Levy” as an alternative way to fund the BBC and ensure its future. However, the proposal is not Government policy, and there is no confirmation that it will happen.

Under the concept, households would pay an extra £11 a month on top of their existing broadband bill – around £132 a year. The proceeds would then be used to fund the broadcaster.

However, the suggestion has drawn criticism from the Internet Services Providers’ Association (ISPA), which represents the UK’s broadband and internet industry. ISPA said it is against the levy, explaining: “ISPA is not in favour of such a levy, which would increase prices for consumers and affect providers’ ability to finish the infrastructure rollout. The sector remains committed to working constructively with the Government so that everyone benefits as the country moves towards an increasingly digital future.

“The proposed internet levy risks undermining this and will lead to an average increase of 35% in broadband bills which would not be used to go back into broadband networks or services.”

ISPA added: “Increasing everyone’s broadband bills by £11 a month to replace the TV licence fee during cost of living pressures is not the answer to how to fund the BBC.”

New report

The SMF’s new report, Valuing the BBC, examines the potential consequences of withdrawing public funding from the broadcaster and proposes alternative funding models.

Published on September 23, it recommends that the existing licence fee should be replaced, but it doesn’t just suggest the £11 fee. Its “recommendations for Government” reads:

• Replace the licence fee with a ‘Home Internet Levy‘, funding the BBC for £11 a month on top of broadband bills, and provide universal access to BBC content.
• If the licence fee is not scrapped, a smaller ‘News and Culture Levy‘ of £2.30 a month could instead be added to home internet bills in order to make up for expected continued declines in real licence fee income.
• Give people on universal credit or pension credit aged under 75 a 25% concession to the licence fee, making the current system more progressive.
• Avoid adding a paywall or advertising to BBC content, which would undermine other broadcaster’s business models while generating insufficient funds.
• Make all adults a ‘member’ of the BBC, giving them greater ability to hold the organisation to account on its public service mission.
• Give the BBC a permanent Royal Charter, as Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy pledged to do in March.
• Set up a BBC Funding Commission to recommend levels of funding required for the BBC to meet its public service obligations, modelled on the German KET.
• Leverage the BBC’s skills and assets more widely across public services, from bringing the BBC archives accessibly into British classrooms, to expanding BBC Verify to help increase British resilience to misinformation.

Why has a broadband levy been suggested?

As reported by the Daily Record, the SMF argues that the BBC needs a sustainable form of public funding and has examined what could happen if licence fee funding were withdrawn without an adequate replacement.

Its modelling suggests that without licence fee funding, around 41% to 63% of the content people currently watch on the BBC could be lost, and that between 18,000 and 29,000 jobs across broadcasting, the cultural sector and related supply chains could disappear.

The research was sponsored by campaign group 38 Degrees. You can read the report here.

Who needs to buy a TV licence?

• A TV licence is needed in the UK to watch or record any programmes as they are being broadcast live on television
• It is also required to watch or stream live programming on any online TV streaming service, such as BBC iPlayer, Sky Go, Amazon prime and YouTube

You can check if you need a TV licence on the TV Licensing website here.

Ways to pay for a TV licence

A TV licence costs £180, you can pay it all in one go, or:

• Pay by monthly Direct Debit – from £15 per month
• Pay less for your licence if you’re over 75 on Pension Credit, registered blind, or live in a care home
• Pay by quarterly Direct Debit – it works out at around £46.25 per payment
• Pay weekly, fortnightly or monthly with a TV Licensing payment card (from £6.50 per week) – once the card is set up you can pay online, through the TV Licensing app, by phone, text message or at any PayPoint

Can I get a TV Licence discount?

Certain groups are entitled to TV licence discounts such as those who live in care homes, who could get it for free or pay a reduced amount if they are part of an Accommodation for Residential Care scheme – find out more here.

Anyone registered as blind or severely sight impaired can get a TV licence at half price (£90) and may also be able to claim back some of what they paid in previous years — as long as they were the named licence holder at the time.

Free TV licence – how to claim

If you already receive Pension Credit, you can apply for your free over-75 TV licence when you are 74 years old. TV Licensing will update your payments to cover you until your 75th birthday, at which point you’ll then be covered by your free licence. They will confirm this in writing.

If you believe you qualify for a free licence but don’t currently have one, you can call 0300 790 6117 to speak to an adviser and ask for an application form. The helpline is open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 6.30pm.

The laws on car and home insurance were changed in 2022 to protect consumers but Martin says “loopholes” remain that people have to get around

Martin Lewis has issued a warning to Brits over “loopholes in the law” on car and home insurance. The money-saving expert raised the alarm while speaking to a woman who managed to save £589 by following his guidance.

Regulations introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority in 2022 say that renewal quotes for home and motor insurance customers should not be more expensive than those offered to new customers. The FCA says the rules mean “insurers will be required to offer renewing customers a price that is no higher than they would pay as a new customer.”

However, Mr Lewis says there are “loopholes in the law”. He outlined them while discussing how one woman managed to cut hundreds of pounds from her bill.

Kath from Liverpool told Martin on a recent episode of the Martin Lewis Podcast that she had shaved £589 off her car insurance after following his recommendation to search for new quotes 23 days before renewal. She said she “couldn’t actually believe” how much more affordable other quotes were at that point.

And she got the substantially cheaper quote – £637 rather than the original quotation of £1,226 – from an insurer that forms part of the same parent company. This prompted Martin to explain that there were “loopholes” that people needed to understand when arranging car and home insurance, reports the Mirror.

He said: “You may have heard that they got rid of the idea that existing customers could be charged more than new customers. But the law on that is very specific.

“Existing customers can’t be charged more than new customers going via the same channel. It’s channel specific. So what that means is if you went by one comparison site then the next year a new customer going via that comparison site could not be given a cheaper price than you in exactly the same situation on the same comparison site.

“But they could be charged less on a different comparison site, or going direct, or going through a different route. So there are a lot of loopholes in that law.”

Kath’s decided to consult comparison websites for alternative quotes after haggling with her insurer only reduced the quote by £100. She said: “I couldn’t actually believe how low. I thought there must be a catch here. This can’t be right.”

This occurred with 22 days remaining before her renewal date. Martin — well-known to ITV viewers for the Martin Lewis Money Show and to BBC listeners for his Martin Lewis Podcast on Radio 5 — refers to this window as “the sweet spot”.

New regulations governing car insurance came into force on 1 January 2022. When the changes were announced, Sheldon Mills, Executive Director, Consumers and Competition at the FCA, said: “These measures will put an end to the very high prices paid by many loyal customers. Consumers can still benefit from shopping around or negotiating with their current provider – but won’t be charged more at renewal just for being an existing customer.”

However, Martin argues that these “loopholes” mean consumers should always shop around for alternative quotes before renewing their policy. To listen to the full Martin Lewis Podcast episode, go here.

There are certain rules energy suppliers must follow

Many UK households are being encouraged to make use of a template letter that could help them avoid paying certain energy charges.

It all comes down to when the energy was used. If you have not received an energy bill in over a year, your supplier is required to follow specific rules regarding how far back they can bill you. Your energy supplier may attempt to charge you for energy used in the past, and this is known as ‘back billing’.

However, if you have not received an accurate gas or electricity bill for more than 12 months, you may not be liable for the full amount of energy used during that period. Under back billing rules, your supplier cannot ordinarily issue a bill for energy consumed more than 12 months ago.

It is worth noting that these rules do not apply if the supplier did send you a bill within that 12-month period and you failed to pay it. In such circumstances, the supplier retains the right to pursue the charge.

Should your supplier attempt to bill you for more than they are entitled to, Citizens Advice has a template letter available to assist you in drafting a formal complaint. “If your supplier tries to charge you for more than 12 months’ energy use, you should write to them. Tell them that you’re protected by the back billing rules and should only be charged for 1 year’s energy use”, Citizens Advice said.

For instance, if you have not received an electricity bill for two years and you request one from your supplier, you are not legally obliged to pay the full two years’ worth of charges when it arrives. Citizens Advice recommends writing to your supplier to make clear that you are aware of the back billing rules, and that you should only be required to settle the previous year’s energy costs.

Your supplier should subsequently issue a revised bill covering just one year’s usage. However, if you have acted unreasonably, your supplier may be entitled to charge you for the full amount.

Unreasonable behaviour includes, but is not limited to, not allowing the supplier access to read your meters without a good reason, and/or stealing electricity or gas.

If you receive a bill that you are unable to pay in full, you can request to settle it in instalments through a payment plan. You will pay fixed sums over an agreed period, ensuring the amount remains manageable. The payment plan will cover the outstanding balance as well as an amount towards your ongoing energy use.

One significant new change impacts anyone who takes a day off due to illness

New laws for anyone calling in sick have come under fire after employers said they were not given enough time. Major changes came in earlier this year for all workers, which were expected to benefit fifteen million people, half of all workers.

Seven crucial measures in the Employment Rights Act came into effect earlier this year. One significant new change impacts anyone who takes a day off due to illness. Other updates to employment law include ‘day one’ rights for parental and bereavement leave, and the termination of unethical fire and rehire practices.

Officials claim these reforms will put an end to insecure work, unfair pay and poor working conditions, putting more money in people’s pockets and enhancing living standards. The most significant change will transform sick pay into a “day one” right, removing the three-day waiting period and earnings threshold. Up to 1.3 million of the lowest earners will now receive statutory sick pay from their first day of illness.

New research from HR News showed that two-thirds (67%) of employers would have preferred more notice to deal with the changes to statutory sick pay (SSP). The industry body for the group risk sector found that, despite this, 60% of employees supported the changes that will introduce SSP from the first day of illness, rather than the fourth, remove the lower earnings limit, and require a new earnings-related method of calculation.

The research also highlighted the fact that 18% of employers believe that the changes to SSP will present a significant challenge to their business in the next 12 months – rising to nearly a quarter (24%) of large employers with over 250 staff.

Katharine Moxham, spokesperson for GRiD, said: “The new statutory sick pay changes, part of the Employment Rights Act 2025, are well-intended and rightly seek to strengthen support for employees during periods of illness or injury. The Act, which received Royal Assent in December 2025, left employers with only around four months to overhaul payroll systems and update policies ahead of the April 2026 deadline. These are not insignificant operational challenges for businesses to absorb at a time when they are already contending with rising costs and sustained economic pressures. Indeed, the research has found that some businesses are not prepared to simply absorb the cost and will be looking to make cuts in other areas.”

Changes for work rights brought in 2026

• Statutory Sick Pay: More employees will qualify, with no earnings threshold and no three-day waiting period.
• Day-one family leave: Employees entitled to Paternity Leave and Unpaid Parental Leave from the first day in a new job. Notice can be given from February 18.
• Bereaved Partner’s Paternity Leave: New right to time off following the death of a child’s mother or primary adopter.
• Collective redundancy protections: Increase to the protective award for non-compliance.
• Whistleblowing protections: Stronger protections for workers who report sexual harassment.
• Simpler enforcement through the Fair Work Agency: A new body to uphold workers’ rights and support businesses with compliance.

Action plans: Employers with 250 or more employees will be encouraged to publish the steps they are taking to reduce their gender pay gap and support employees experiencing menopause.

When the plan was introduced TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “The Employment Rights Act will deliver vital common sense reforms for millions of people across the country, including sick pay for all workers from day one, banning exploitative zero hours contracts and protecting workers from harassment.

“Too often in this debate the facts are ignored, but stronger rights at work are good for workers and employers – driving up labour market participation, improving health, raising productivity and boosting demand

“The Employment Rights Act will deliver an estimated £10 billion boost to the economy – gains that far outstrip any costs. Britain will now be brought into line with other countries where workers already have better protections and, crucially, the legislation will give working people the higher living standards and secure incomes that are needed to build a decent life.

“Good employers will also welcome these changes: the Act protects them from competitors whose business models are built on low-paid, insecure employment.”

Massive reviews into Personal Independence Payments due as Chancellor signals he’s prepared to argue welfare reform with party

Both Andy Burnham and his Chancellor have hinted at tough choices for the Government this autumn, despite the Prime Minister’s intent to push forward a message of hope at his first Labour conference since seizing power.

Mr Burnham acknowledged he and the Chancellor John Healey face a “challenging” set of circumstances at the Budget, and said he is prepared to take tough decisions to deliver his change agenda.

Elsewhere, Mr Healey signalled he was willing to make the case to Labour backbenchers over welfare reforms, as there was a “moral duty” to ensure a generation of young people get into work.

Their room for manoeuvre at the Budget has been severely constrained by rising borrowing costs, pushed up by the US-Iran war, among other global events.

A huge Timms Review of Personal Independence Payments is due to report imminently. While ministers are awaiting the final recommendations from two government-backed reports into youth unemployment and disability benefits, both have already identified significant shortcomings in the welfare system and called for action.

A Government spokesperson said: “The Timms review interim report is clear PIP, as designed in 2013, is no longer fit for purpose, and the final recommendations due this autumn will lay the foundation for reform.”

Speaking to the Guardian, Mr Burnham insisted his Government could both bring forward a radical reform agenda, and maintain the public finances amid the fraught economic situation.

He suggested the public would have “more respect for us if we go and grab something difficult … and say, ‘right, we’re going to do something here’, rather than constantly playing the political game before fixing the problems”.

He added: “It’s challenging, definitely, but there are still things that you can do. Always in politics, there are things that you can do. The question is sometimes, are you prepared to do them? Yeah, I am prepared to do them.”

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Mr Healey meanwhile suggested he was ready to argue his case with Labour backbenchers opposed to welfare reform, as a means of containing the ballooning costs to the public purse.

He told the newspaper: “I first got elected nearly 30 years ago for part of Rotherham and in the 1990s, in South Yorkshire, the level of youth unemployment was one in three.

“That, for me, is a moral duty that this Government now must pick up again, with nearly a million youngsters post-Covid, before the election, not in employment, not in education, not in training.

“I refuse to see a generation in jeopardy. I refuse to see a generation condemned to a life on benefits.”

The Chancellor also suggested that he could raise capital gains tax at the October 28 Budget, something his Cabinet colleagues Louise Haigh and Wes Streeting called for over the summer.

He described the levy as the lowest of “any European G7 nation”, leaving open the possibility it could be hiked and still remain lower than Britain’s neighbours.

In what could be the latest step to help households with the cost-of-living crisis, Mr Healey also suggested to the Sunday Times he was mulling over whether a planned fuel duty rise should go ahead.

“I’m conscious of these pressures and I will take them into account when I make my Budget decisions,” he said discussing the tax.

Elsewhere, the Prime Minister offered a further glimpse of his determination to overhaul the social care system.

He told the Sunday Mirror that the death of his father Roy last week – who required care because of his Alzheimer’s – had fuelled his determination to deal with social care’s problems.

“I won’t leave office without having grasped this nettle,” he said. Mr Burnham added: “It is a priority for me, and I will face it. And it may make me unpopular, but I’m going to do it.”

Labour’s conference in Liverpool begins on Sunday, with the party’s deputy leader Lucy Powell expected to give a speech to members.

The Prime Minister will make his speech, aimed at outlining his broad agenda for Government, on Tuesday.

Many Premium Bonds holders have been contacted

NS&I has contacted Premium Bonds holders with ‘great news’ as part of UK Savings Week.

Many customers have received emails highlighting how NS&I products can “help you save”. The messages read: “Feeling inspired by UK Savings Week? We have great news for Premium Bonds holders: the Premium Bonds prize fund rate has increased to 4.35%, variable, and the odds of winning are now even better at 1 in 21,000!” This means there were over 300,000 additional tax-free prizes available in this month’s draw.

The emails continue: “The good news doesn’t stop with Premium Bonds though. There have also been rate increases across British Savings Bonds, Direct Saver and Income Bonds.”

NS&I is keen to stress that there are “more tax-free prizes” and “more chances of winning”. The announcements follow reports that two lucky Premium Bonds holders, one based in London and another in Norwich, each secured a £1m jackpot earlier this month.

The first £1 million winning Bond number this month is 484QT130447, held by a winner from Norwich, while the second £1 million jackpot Bond number is 659VC982054, belonging to a holder in London.

NS&I says it has played an essential role in helping people across the nation to save since 1861. Currently, more than 24 million customers choose to save with NS&I.

Premium Bonds are a tax-free savings option. Rather than accruing interest, every £1 Bond you hold is entered into a monthly prize draw, giving you the chance to win tax-free prizes ranging from £25 all the way up to £1 million.

You can invest from as little as £25, up to the maximum limit of £50,000. NS&I has confirmed that the odds of winning stand at 21,000 to 1 for each £1 Bond entered into the monthly prize draw, though this figure is variable.

However, finance expert Martin Lewis believes that most people would achieve a considerably better return through standard savings accounts, if they do not deposit enough funds, given the odds involved. He argues that Premium Bonds are only truly worthwhile once you have a certain amount of money saved, typically in excess of £5,000.