NewstrAid Increases Welfare Payments as Cost Of Living Soars

NewstrAid has announced that it will be increasing its regular benefit amount by 10% from August 2022.

The increase was agreed by NewstrAid’s Board of Trustees in response to the ongoing increase in the cost of living and will provide extra financial support to the charity’s most vulnerable beneficiaries who are facing constant hardship and are struggling to cover ongoing everyday living costs for themselves and their family.

Regular beneficiaries receive a payment from NewstrAid three times a year and the payment rates were last increased by the charity in 2017.

Neil Jagger, CEO for NewstrAid said: “Our regular beneficiaries are finding it increasingly difficult to cover their weekly and monthly expenses and we are hearing from people who are having to decide which meal to skip in order to pay their bills. It was therefore essential that we reviewed the payment amount at this time and we are very grateful to the Board of Trustees for agreeing a 10% increase.”

This is not the first time that the charity has increased the financial support they provide in recent months.  In November 2021 they increased their Winter Comfort Grant in response to the cuts in Universal Credit and in February 2022 awarded a booster payment to help with the ongoing cost of living increases.

Neil Jagger added; “We are committed to providing as much help as we can to those from the industry who are facing hardship. Anyone with a newstrade connection who is struggling to cope with the general cost of living increases should contact our welfare team on Freephone 0800 917 8616.”

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For Media information contact: Lindsay Rule; lindsay@newstraid.org.uk

About NewstrAid  www.newstraid.org.uk

NewstrAid is a charity which aims to provide welfare for people who are, or have been, employed in the selling and distribution of newspapers and magazines in the UK and who find themselves in hardship. This includes their immediate family and dependants who are in need or in distress. The charity has been in existence for over 180 years and counts Charles Dickens amongst its presidents.