Good morning. Isabella McRae here. Welcome back to Survival Guide.

Things are on the up this month. April marks the start of a new financial year so that means a few changes to your income and outgoings. Benefits and pensions are increasing, and so is the minimum wage, maternity and paternity pay, and sick pay. 

In less good news, some of our bills are also set to rise. They’re not going up at the extortionate rate we saw in the height of the cost of living crisis, but an increase of just a few pounds can take its toll on our bank accounts. We break down exactly what’s going up and by how much in this newsletter.

Also this week, we meet the tenants who won more than £250,000 of rent back from their billionaire landlord after a five-year legal battle.

If you’ve got a story to share, we want to listen. Get in touch at isabella.mcrae@bigissue.com or share your story here.

What's going up in April 2025?

Council tax. On average, council tax is going up by 5% across the country – but the amount your bill will rise depends on where you live and what council tax band you are in. 

There are steps you can take if you’re worried about being able to afford council tax. Many qualify for exemptions, while there are a huge range of grants available. More details of the support on offer can be found here.

National living wage. Workers aged 21 and over on the National Living Wage will see their pay rise by 6%. An hourly increase from £11.44 to £12.21 represents an annual pay rise of over £1,400 a year.

For those aged 18 to 20, the National Minimum Wage will increase by 16.3% to £10 an hour.

Water bills. Water bills in England and Wales are set to go up by an average of £10 a month from April. It means average bills will increase by £123 a year. 

But not all areas are equal. Southern Water customers will see their bills increase by 47%. Thames Water customers face a 31% hike. South West Water, Hafren Dyfrdwy and Bournemouth Water bills will go up by 32%. In Scotland, bills will increase by nearly 10%. Find out what to do if you are struggling to pay.

Benefits. Most benefits payments – including universal credit, PIP, and disability living allowance – will increase by 1.7%, in line with September’s inflation rate.

The benefits cuts announced have not come into force yet and won’t until 2026 at the earliest. Find out more about what changes to expect with your benefits in April.

Energy bills. The average gas and electricity bill will increase by 6% from April, adding £9.25 to an average household’s monthly bill.

Help is available for those who cannot afford energy bills. Many energy companies offer support funds and grants, and more information can be found here.

State pension. From 7 April, the state pension will increase by £473 a year thanks to the triple lock. This picks the highest out of wage growth, inflation, or 2.5%. This year, pensioners have wage growth to thank for an increase of 4.1%, bringing the full state pension to £11,973 a year.

Mobile and broadband. Some of us might see our phone or WiFi bills increase. For example, most EE customers who were with the company before 10 April 2024 will see their contract increase by 6.4%. Virgin Media customers who took out a broadband deal before 9 January will face an increase of 7.5%.

Maternity and paternity pay. Maternity and paternity pay, as well as adoption, shared parental, and parental bereavement pay will go up from £184.03 to £187.18 per week.

Social rent. Rents for those living in a socially rented home will increase in April by a maximum of 2.7%. It means if you’re paying £1,000 a month, your rent will increase to £1,027 a month.

Statutory sick pay. Statutory sick pay will increase from £116.75 a week to £118.75 a week. But you must earn £125 per week to qualify.

Find out more about what’s going up this month here.

In case you missed it

I was trafficked and forced to work 23 hours a day. How was I meant to return to normality? Ilja Abbattista is now supporting modern slavery survivors into safe and secure employment. Read her story.

DWP ordered to correct 'entirely misleading' claim about universal credit claimants looking for work. It made the false claim while looking to justify new welfare reforms. Get the latest.

Could Rachel Reeves have introduced a wealth tax instead of benefit cuts? Economists say yes. Could Rachel Reeves have introduced a wealth tax instead of benefit cuts? Economists say yes. Find out more.

DWP figures show two in five single parents are living in poverty: 'It's a terrible situation'. Single parents are far more likely to be living in poverty than couples. Ruth Talbot, founder of Single Parent Rights, calls for change. Read about it.

Food banks aren’t the solution to poverty – especially when businesses use them to dump food waste. Carina Millstone, executive director at charity Feedback Global, explains why food banks cannot be used as a tool to end food waste and poverty. Read more.

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Tenants win more than £250,000 of rent back from billionaire landlord in five-year legal battle

A total of 46 residents from 15 different flats in Hackney have been awarded £263,555.68 after a tribunal found companies owned by billionaire landlord John Christodoulou operated unlicensed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).

Tenants from campaign group Somerford Grove Renters (SGR), representing 170 Hackney flats majority-owned by Christodoulou, first launched action as the pandemic hit in 2020 when their request for rent relief was rejected.

Five years later, tenants have won what the group are calling “one of the largest groups of rent repayment order cases in London’s history”.

Read about it here.