The UK will see several new rules affecting welfare, energy and second-hand trading platforms in October 2026: the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) gains the power to impose driving bans on people with unpaid benefit debts from 1 October; Ofgem's energy price cap rises 4% the same day, pushing the typical household annual bill to £1,723; and second-hand clothing platform Vinted updates its terms from 8 October, requiring all users to accept the new terms to continue using the platform.

Key Points

  • The DWP's new powers will be phased in from October; those owing £1,000 or more may face a court-issued driving ban, and the DWP can recover debts directly from bank accounts.
  • After Ofgem's price cap rise, the typical annual energy bill increases by £60 to £1,723; the government's removal of VAT on electricity is factored into this adjustment.
  • From 8 October, Vinted requires all users to accept updated terms and conditions; the Buyer Protection Fee will be renamed the "Vinted Fee", with rules on accessing and depositing platform balances adjusted accordingly.

The DWP's new enforcement powers stem from the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act 2025, part of the government's crackdown on benefit fraud and debt. The department is writing to thousands of people with outstanding debts, asking them to come forward and repay or arrange a repayment plan; the driving bans will be used only as a last resort.

On energy, Ofgem announced a 4% increase in the price cap, raising the typical annual gas and electricity bill from £1,663 since July to £1,723, equivalent to £5 more per month. This figure already accounts for the government's removal of VAT on all domestic electricity bills; without that VAT relief, the increase would have been about £45 higher. Ofgem says fixed-tariff customers automatically receive this discount too.

LPG's code of conduct changes focus on second-hand resale. The platform requires all existing users to explicitly accept the new terms once they take effect, or they will be unable to continue using it. If the bank details on an account do not match Vinted's balance records, users may need to update their bank information before withdrawing funds or receiving payments. Deleting a Vinted account can now lead to the associated payment provider closing the related balance as well. After the "Buyer Protection Fee" is renamed the "Vinted Fee", the billing method is unchanged and still shown transparently in the same way during checkout — Vinted stresses this is only a name change.

Other macro milestones include: the Office for National Statistics will release the latest inflation data on 21 October, after the 12-month inflation rate rose from 2.6% to 2.9% through July. Chancellor John Healey will present the Budget on 28 October; wealth manager Rathbones expects no major changes to the main rates of income tax, VAT or National Insurance, but possible targeted measures on wealth, assets and investment. None of the Budget content has been officially confirmed.

For the second-hand clothing trade, Vinted is one of Europe's largest second-hand clothing resale platforms, and its terms changes and fee rebranding deserve attention from cross-border sellers: changes to bank information verification and account balance withdrawal rules could directly affect users' cash flow.

Source: List of DWP and money changes coming in this month · Originally published 2026-10-01