What bills are set to go up in April 2023?
The cost of living crisis is a widespread issue affecting people from all walks of life.
Even people who earn a liveable wage are noticing the pinch as a number of bills – from lifestyle costs like gyms to the daily essentials including many food staples – increase.
And things are only set to get tougher with a number of bills across the board set to rise from April 2023.
From phone contracts to council tax, here are all the bills expected to increase in the coming months:
Phone bills
Phone bills will go up again this year, though this isn’t anything new.
Most phone providers increased their prices each year before the cost of living crisis, however, with inflation currently above 10%, this year’s increase is likely to leave a bigger dent in your wallet than usual.
Providers normally base their price increases on either the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Retail Price Index (RPI) which are two measures of calculating inflation.
CPI (which measures how much the cost of goods and services has risen in comparison with last year) is currently at 10.1% and RPI (which measures the change in the cost of house prices as well as of goods and services) is currently at 13.4%.
Confirmed phone bill price increases
- EE – customers can expect their phone bills to rise by 14.4% from March 31. The increase is based on the CPI of 10.5% plus an average rise of 3.9%. EE estimates this works out to around £1 per week extra on average
- O2 – the company have confirmed prices will rise 17.3% (January’s 13.4% RPI rate + 3.9%) if your contract started after March 25, 2021 or a rise of 13.4% if it started before this date
- Vodafone – customers have been told prices will rise 14.4%- the CPI rate + 3.9%
- Three – customers who joined after November 1, 2022 will see prices rise by 14.4%, anyone who joined or upgraded between October 29, 2020 and October 31, 2022 will see prices rise 4.5%
For more information on these rises and to see more phone providers, check out our full explanatory guide.
Is enough being done to support people through the cost of living crisis? Have your say now
Council tax
In his Autumn Budget, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced councils can increase rates by up to 5% without a referendum, whereas previously they had only been allowed to raise council tax by up to 2%.
So while there’s not one fixed percentage increase across the country, and each local council can choose how much it’ll raise its rates, on average prices could rise by £75 a year.
Confirmed or proposed increases by region
- Adur – 1.99%
- Ashford – 2.9%
- Barrow-in-Furness – 2.84%
- Bassetlaw – 4.0%
- Bath and North East Somerset – 4.99%
- Brighton and Hove – 4.99%
- Bedford – 2.90%
- Blaby – 2.99%
- Blackburn and Darwen – 4.99%
- Berkshire (region-wide) – 6.76%
- Bolton – 6.5%
- Bracknell Forest – 4.99%
- Bradford – 4.99%
- Breckland – 4.7%
- Bristol – 5%
- Buckinghamshire – 4.99%
- Calderdale – 4.99%
- Cambridge – 4.99%
- Canterbury – 2.24%
- Chelmsford – 4.0%
- Cheltenham – 2.99%
- Cheshire East – 4.99%
- Colchester – 3.0%
- Cornwall – 4.99%
- Coventry – 5.0%
- Cumberland Council – 4.99%
- Dacorum – 1.99%
- Darlington – 5.0%
- Durham – 5%
- Dudley – 4.99%
- East Devon – 3.3%
- East Suffolk – 2.81%
- East Hertfordshire – 3%
- East Lindsey – 5.42%
- Eden – 4.99%
- Gateshead – 4.99%
- Gloucestershire – 2.99%
- Hartlepool – 4.99%
- Harborough – 2.99%
- Herefordshire – 4.99%
- Hertfordshire – 4.99%
- Hertsmere – 2.99%
- Horsham – 2.99%
- Lancaster – 2.99%
- Leeds – 4.99%
- Lincoln – 2.90%
- Luton – 4.99%
- Manchester – 4.99%
- Medway – 5%
- Merton – 2%
- Mole Valley – 2.99%
- Middlesborough – 3.99%
- Newcastle-upon-Tyne – 4%
- Newcastle-upon-Lyme – 1.99%
- North East Lincolnshire – 4.98%
- North Tyneside – 4.99%
- North Somerset – 4.99%
- North Yorkshire – 4.99%
- Norwich – 2.99%
- Nottinghamshire – 4.84%
- Oldham – 3.99%
- Oxford – 4.99%
- Peterborough – 4.99%
- Plymouth – 4.99%
- Portsmouth – 4.99%
- Redcar and Cleveland – 3.99%
- Rugby – 2.99%
- Rutland – 4.99%
- Ryedale – 4.99%
- Shropshire – 2.27%
- Solihull – 2.99%
- South Norfolk – 2.99%
- South Tyneside – 4.95%
- St Helens – 5.00%
- Stratford upon Avon – 3.2%
- Slough – 4.99%
- Staffordshire – 4.99%
- Sunderland – 2.99%
- Surrey Heath – 5%
- Suffolk – 2.81%
- Sussex – 4.99%
- Teignbridge – 2.78%
- Thanet – 2.99%
- Torbay – 4.99%
- Wakefield – 4.99%
- Walsall – 2.99%
- Welwyn Hatfield – 2.97%
- West Oxfordshire – 4.57%
- Wiltshire – 5%
- Windsor and Maidenhead – 4.99%
- Wirral – 4.99%
- Worcestershire – 4.94%
Water bills
The average annual water bill in England and Wales is set to rise by around £31 a year (7.5%) from April, industry body Water UK announced early in February of this year.
Those in Scotland will see bills rise by £19 a year (5%).
An estimated forecast based on data provided by water companies to Water UK indicates how much costs could rise by supplier, but people’s individual bills could be higher or lower depending on factors like how much you use, if you have a water meter and where you live.
Estimated water and sewage bills cost for 2023/24
- Anglian, £492, +£47 year on year (YOY)
- Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, £499, +£14 YOY
- Hafren Dyfrdwy, £372, +£41 YOY
- Northumbrian, £391, +£29 YOY
- Severn Trent, £419, +£28 YOY
- South West, £476, +£8 YOY
- Southern, £439, +£43 YOY
- Thames, £456, +£39 YOY
- United Utilities, £443, +£26 YOY
- Wessex, £504, +£42 YOY
- Yorkshire, £446, +£30 YOY.
Energy bills
The price of energy bills looks safe for now as Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has done a U-turn on his proposal to increase the Energy Price Guarantee.
The scheme will be extended for a further three months from April to June at its current level, the Treasury has confirmed.
This means the average annual household bills will be capped at £2,500,
The EPG had been due to go up to £3,000 in April, but falling energy prices mean the current level can be extended to ‘bridge the gap’ until costs fall below the cap.
This annual figure is based on a typical household’s usage – if you use more energy than an average household, you’ll be paying more than this figure, as the guarantee actually caps the amount you pay per kWh of energy used.
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