‘Postcode lottery' blamed as hundreds of thousands of Londoners to miss out on £100 winter payment

Chancellor John Healey's first budget, announced on October 25, 2026, included significant measures aimed at boosting economic growth and addressing social issues in England. The budget introduced a new £1.5bn borrowing facility to support local authorities and outlined plans for devolving more spending power to them through a £285m "good growth" funding package. This initiative aims to enable mayors and regional leaders to make decisions without constant reliance on central government funding, as promised by Prime Minister Andy Burnham.

The budget also allocated over £1bn towards social and affordable housing, bringing the total funding for the 10-year homes programme past £40bn. Additionally, Healey announced a new tax on banks to raise funds, although this move faced criticism from the Conservatives who warned it could increase mortgage costs. Despite these measures, some within Westminster questioned whether the scale of the budget matched the government's rhetoric about ending austerity.

The budget included a £100 winter payment for households in council tax bands A-D to help with rising energy bills, though this measure faced criticism for being geographically inconsistent, leading to hundreds of thousands of Londoners missing out due to eligibility criteria based on specific postcode areas.