Martin Lewis energy warning and the 12-point plan to survive cost of living crisis

Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis has told the government it must make a serious effort to help people facing poverty due to a surge in inflation and energy bills.

In a stark warning today (May 22) the finance whizz told The Mail on Sunday: "We are not in the middle of a cost of living crisis, we are at the start of a cost of living crisis. It is almost certainly going to get worse – the problems are going to peak over the winter months, from October onwards, when we’re expecting to see energy bills rise again by another 30%."

"I don’t think there is much hope of this ending before Christmas," he added. Martin also told the paper the situation is "the worst since I became the money-saving expert in 2000".

Read More: Martin Lewis' tip to turn £800 into £5,500 for your state pension before time runs out

As more people are pushed into making difficult choices about what to cut back on, here is a brief summary of a 12-point action plan by Martin's team that can help households save money. You can find more detail on the Money Saving Expert website:

1. Councils have just received a new portion of £500m for the Household Support Fund – and you don't need to be on benefits to apply. The link for Hull City Council financial help is here and the East Riding of Yorkshire Council link is here.
2. Approximately 16m people in the UK are out of contract on their broadband and mobile and could halve their bills. If you are claiming benefits you might also be applicable for a social tariff, such as the one offered by KCOM.
3. If your family income is below £30,000 (or even £50,000 in some cases) you might want to use the Money Saving Expert 10-minute benefit checker to see if you are eligible. In turn, this might entitle you to council tax reductions and reduced utility tariffs.
4. Childcare (for younger tots and even teenagers). You're able to claim child tax credit until August 31 after your child turns 16. With Tax-Free Childcare, you can claim up to £2,000 a child until September 1 after your child turns 11 and this also counts towards certain summer schools and after-school clubs. In England, you're entitled to 570 hours of free childcare annually for three to four year olds.
5. Check your Direct debits, standing orders, and recurring payments that suck money out of your account each month and decide which are not essential, and then cancel them with the company that you set them up with.
6. If you live alone, with students, have a "severe mental impairment", have a live-in carer, receive pension credit, or are on a low income, you might get a council tax discount. A single person gets a 25% discount and a household of students only will not have to pay council tax at all.
7. See Money Saving Expert's recycling rewards list for ways to get money back for returning old clothes or beauty containers.
8. If you get NHS prescriptions more than once a month you can save money with a prepayment certificate.
9. Use your washing machine at 30°C and dry clothes on the line to save £28 a year on your energy bill (as calculated by the Energy Saving Trust).
10. Check if you’re in too high a council tax band (around 400,000 properties are) with the Money Saving Expert check ’n’ challenge. Warning: council bands can also be raised so only challenge if you're absolutely sure.
11. Pounce on the biggest supermarket "yellow sticker" reductions by shopping at the right time for 75% reductions – which is early evening according to Money Saving Expert although it describes it as "an art more than a science".
12. If you’ve got existing credit and store card debt and are paying interest on top of it, check if you can save with a balance transfer card to shift debts from old cards to a new one with 0% interest. This will make repayments cut your actual debt.

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