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As the end of 2025 draws nearer, higher bills combined with lower temperatures mean many will be facing increased costs in the approach to Christmas.

For millions across the country, managing the cost of living remains a daily struggle as prices continue to rise faster than household incomes.

Despite inflation returning to pre-pandemic levels, the cost of goods has remained persistently high in the face of stagnant wages. At the same time, exorbitant household bills mean millions are grappling with debts to afford the essentials.

Around 14 million adults are going without food because they cannot afford it, recent research by the Trussell Trust found. Meanwhile, energy arrears have more than doubled over the past five years, rising to £4.4bn by the end of June.

Anti-poverty charity the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has said that low-income families in the UK are on course for the worst fall in living standards on record by the next election in 2029.

Against this difficult economic backdrop, it is important that households claim all the support they are entitled to. There are now around 24 million people in the country claiming some combination of DWP-administered benefits, which include those drawing a state pension, representing around one in three people.

open image in gallery The state pension is expected to rise by 4.7 per cent from