Check if you will be due £150, £300 or £900 cost of living payments next year

The UK Government recently announced a series of new cost of living payments to help millions of households across the country mitigate soaring inflation and rising energy bills. The new cost of living support package is worth £26 billion in 2023/24, in addition to the 10.1% benefits uprating, which is worth £11 billion to working age households and people with disabilities.

The DWP has announced that millions of people on low incomes will receive a cost-of-living cash boost from this spring.

Starting off the new year strong! Jennifer Lopez, Anne Hathaway and more stars rang in 2023 with a bang.

Those who are planning to go out to see some New Year's fireworks might want to keep an umbrella to hand. This weekend will see in 2023, with Hogmanay taking place on Saturday, December 31, and New Year's Day taking place on Sunday, January 1.

A think-tank has warned that families are facing a "groundhog year" as further squeezes on living standards look set to continue into 2023. The Resolution Foundation said that while there are signs inflation will ease and interest rates peak lower than feared, family finances face a repeat of 2022's cost of living challenges.

The UK Government recently announced a series of new cost of living payments to help millions of households across the country mitigate soaring inflation and ever-increasing energy bills. The new cost of living support package is worth £26 billion in 2023/24, in addition to benefits uprating, which is worth £11 billion to working age households and people with disabilities.

New analysis suggests that a German-style national drive to reduce UK energy use by turning off lights and lowering heating temperatures could save households £400 and save the Treasury £9 billion. The Social Market Foundation (SMF), a cross-party think-tank, is calling on the UK Government to follow Germany’s lead and launch an information campaign that provides practical tips on reducing household energy demand.

The ongoing cost of living crisis has made 2022 a challenging year for millions of households across Scotland. Soaring energy bills along with higher food and fuel prices brought about by record-breaking inflation means budgets are continually being pushed to breaking point.

The UK Government has launched a dedicated website aimed at helping households save money on their energy bills. A new advertising campaign has also started airing on TV screens nationwide as part of the ‘It All Adds Up’ £18 million awareness initiative.

New Year’s Day falls on Sunday, which means days at the start of the first week of 2023 are classed as bank holidays. Monday, January 2, is an ‘observed’ bank holiday across the UK while Tuesday, January 3, is classed as a ‘substitute’ bank holiday - but only in Scotland.

Looking festive! Princess Kate was a gorgeous sight at the Royal Christmas Church service in Sandringham on Sunday, December 25.

Nurses and midwives in Perth and Kinross will join strikes across Scotland next year after members of the Royal College of Nursing “overwhelmingly” rejected the latest pay offer for NHS workers.

Good afternoon Insiders and a happy holiday to you all, Max Goldbart here seeing out the year. We’re inching slowly towards the holiday and have just got a quick summary of the week’s headlines and some Essentials for you this week. We’ll be taking a well-earned (we hope!) break next week but back all systems go on Friday January 6. Until then, our heartfelt thanks go out to all you Insider readers. We are nothing without you. Merry Xmas, Happy Chanukah and a Happy New Year.

New Year’s Day falls on a Sunday this year, which means days at the start of the first week of 2023 are classed as bank holidays. Monday, January 2, is an ‘observed’ bank holiday across the UK while Tuesday, January 3, is classed as a ‘substitute’ bank holiday - but only in Scotland.

A demand for more funding for council across Scotland to tackle unprecedented budget problems has been publicly backed by Falkirk councillors, after they gave the COSLA Save Our Services campaign unanimous support.

The iconic Coca-Cola Christmas Truck Tour will make its way to Edinburgh for the first time in 2022.

Aw, man. This is just heartbreaking.