MOST residents in Wales will be handed a £150 one-off payment to help with the rising cost-of-living, the Welsh Government has announced.

The payment is part of a package of expanded measures, which also include an extra £200 for low-income households through the Winter Fuel Payment next winter.

The £150 cost-of-living payment will be provided to all households who live in properties in council tax bands A to D – roughly 73 per cent of residents in the country - as well as recipients of the Council Tax Reduction Scheme in all bands.

The move follows a scheme set out for England by the UK Government, and the Welsh Government said its package was “significantly larger.

Rebecca Evans, Minister for Finance and Local Government, said the support reflects the Welsh Government’s priority of “creating a fairer Wales in which no-one is left behind.”

The Welsh Government said it will be working with local authorities to provide more detail about how the scheme will operate and will begin making payments “as soon as possible.”

The scheme will cost a total of £152m.

A further £25m will also be provided as a discretionary fund for local authorities, allowing councils to use their local knowledge to help households who may be struggling.

More money will also be provided through the Discretionary Assistance Fund and through the Winter Fuel Support Scheme, which will deliver an additional £200 later this year to hundreds of thousands of low-income households.

Rebecca Evans said: “People are facing a very real cost-of-living crisis and urgent, meaningful action is required.

“The Chancellor’s offer at the start of the month fell short of what people needed.

“We have been able to go above and beyond to provide Welsh households with more help in paying bills, heating homes and putting food on the table.

“In total we are nearly doubling the equivalent support provided by the UK Government for those who need it the most, reflecting our priority of creating a fairer Wales in which no-one is left behind.”

Jane Hutt, Minister for Social Justice, said: “The funding will ensure more people get more support, in what are challenging circumstances for so many families in Wales.

“As bills rise, prices go up and wages are stretched we know people will need help.

“Addressing the cost-of-living crisis remains a crucial priority for this Government and we will continue to consider all the options available to us.”

Welsh Conservative Leader, Andrew RT Davies MS, said: "I am pleased to see the new money that has come from the Conservative UK Government put to good use by Cardiff Bay ministers as Welsh Conservatives have been calling for.

"With global energy prices on the up, I am pleased to see action on this issue to help families deal with the cost-of-living issues that have arisen as a consequence of the pandemic.

"It is just a shame Labour couldn’t help themselves and have a pop at British ministers who have led the way in finding a resolution to this."