Annual MOTs can be removed and childcare provisions relaxed as part of a package of plans to alleviate the cost of living without spending more government money.
Next month, Boris Johnson hopes to announce a set of measures that can tackle the crisis with regulatory change and corporate “boost”.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has ruled out a resumption of lending or tax increases before the fall, when he will announce a second support package to tackle the inevitable increases in energy bills.
Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, will chair the Committee on Internal and Economic Strategy, which will coordinate the measures to be implemented in Whitehall’s departments.
On Tuesday, he held a cabinet meeting at which all ministers were told to come up with ideas on how to deal with the cost of living in a fiscally neutral way.
Transport Minister Grant Shaps has proposed changing the MOT rules so that tests are required only every year, not annually, which would reduce costs for drivers.
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Another idea discussed at the meeting would increase the maximum number of children a babysitter can take care of in order to reduce the average cost of a place in kindergarten.
Nadine Doris, the Minister of Culture, wants to encourage other departments to share personal data to ensure that people are aware of all existing benefits and support to which they are entitled – for example, all those who receive a pension loan can also automatically request several other payments.
Mr Johnson’s committee – also involving Chancellor Dominic Raab and Steve Barkley – will review dozens of ideas expected to be presented by various departments and decide which will be part of the final package.
Business Secretary Quasi Quarteng supports the promotion of renewable energy sources, but at a cabinet meeting he clashed with Jacob Rees-Mogg, who advocates a new tax cut (Photo: Hannah McKay / Reuters)
Mr Sunak told the prime minister he was not ready to offer more money in the coming months after pledging £ 22 billion in support this month. A source close to the chancellor said: “The treasury cannot always be the solution to these things. We are in a difficult situation, you just have to look at public finances. “
However, he plans to introduce a new support package from October, when the ceiling on household energy bills rises again by up to 50 percent. The new measures will be prepared in the summer and can be announced in August.
Short-term bridging proposals that have already been introduced in recent weeks include pressure to encourage telecoms and broadband companies to inform customers about reduced tariffs they can meet by lowering the price of fertilizer so farmers can control food prices and change the universal credit rules to allow claimants to withhold more than their payments.
At a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, ministers clashed on the best approach to take, with Jacob Rees-Mogg pushing for new tax cuts and proposing that the UK’s zero-zero target be lifted – just to be rejected by business secretary Quasi Quarteng, who insisted on encouraging renewables to lower energy prices.
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The rarer MOT idea proposed by Grant Shapps would reduce the requirement for motorists to have a MOT test on their cars every two years, not every year, halving the long-term cost of testing. AA said: “Although well thought out, moving the annual £ 55 maintenance fee every two years could worsen the cost of drivers with higher repair bills, make our roads more dangerous and put jobs at risk. in the garage industry.
Parenting rules Another proposal will allow babysitters to look after more children per person, which could reduce the cost of raising children by reducing staff costs. But the Nursery Association said on National Day: “We risk putting extra pressure on the overworked workforce while undermining efforts to give children the best start in life.”
Telecommunications bills Some companies that provide telephone and broadband services offer “social tariffs” between £ 10 and £ 25 a month to customers who receive certain benefits such as universal credit, but the regulator Ofcom estimates that no more than 2% of respondents of the conditions households claim for them. Culture Secretary Nadine Doris wrote to telecoms chiefs asking how they could reach nearly 5 million non-tariff families and promote awareness of the program.
Fertilizer Environmental Secretary George Justis has introduced changes to help farmers cope with the global shortage of fertilizers and rising prices. Anti-pollution rules restricting the use of urea fertilizers will be suspended for one year, while farmers will be paid to help store natural fertilizer until necessary. Mr Justis hopes this will limit the increase in the price of food in shops.
Changes in benefits. The Ministry of Labor and Pensions has frozen the amount of money that universal credit applicants automatically send to their energy suppliers to avoid a significant reduction in their income taken home. Instead, the plaintiffs can talk to the energy companies themselves to find out how much they have to pay extra and whether there are ways to reduce their use instead of paying significantly more. Households are also urged to check once again which benefits they are entitled to, as the department’s budget includes millions of pounds of unsolicited funds.
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