As always on the 1st of the month, a whole series of new measures, reforms and modifications come into effect. This October 1, there are 5, starting with the increase again in social tariffs for gas and electricity. It increases by 7.8% for electricity, and by 9.9% for gas. Which, mechanically, will increase the bill of households who benefit from this reduced rate, but much less than the increase applied by suppliers on other prices.
In detail, 1 kWh of electricity now costs 26.51 cents, or 1.9 cents more. And 1 kWh of natural gas costs from today 3.4 cents, or 0.31 cents more. According to the Electricity and Gas Regulatory Commission (Creg), without the capping of social tariffs, their price would have increased by 41% for electricity and 276% for gas.
Postponement of mortgage payment
The banks and insurance companies that provide credit have decided to relaunch the measure that had already been put in place during the covid. From this Saturday, October 1, people who are struggling to pay their bills due to rising energy prices can request a payment deferral. Concretely: for 12 months, they will only pay the interest on the loan, not the capital. Applications can be submitted until March 31, 2023 inclusive.
Two conditions to benefit from this deferral: the credit must relate to the main dwelling and the total assets in the accounts of the applicants must be less than 10,000 euros.
An identification of the bettors
Betting agencies are now required to register the identity of players. It is therefore necessary to verify the identity, and thus to ensure that the person is not prohibited from gambling. This measure is intended to protect minors and people addicted to gambling.
Note that from October 20, the measure also provides for the establishment of a ceiling: €200/player/week maximum for online games of chance. The player can raise the ceiling, at his request, with the gambling commission.
4th dose of covid vaccine for Brussels residents
All residents of the capital aged 18 and over can, from October 1, receive their fall booster against Covid-19, the 4th dose. This is the continuation of the fall vaccination campaign launched on September 12th. Those over 50 who so wish have already been able to receive their injection.
Still 4 vaccination centers: in Forest, Molenbeek, Pacheco and Woluwé-Saint-Pierre. Added to this are the mobile teams and temporary sites near certain pharmacies.
The 4th dose is not obligatory, but remains recommended for the elderly and people “at risk” (with comorbidities).
Change in the highway code
The last change concerns the highway code. We mentioned it this week with Bertrand Caroy, guest in the RTL INFO Welcome. Most of the changes concern cyclists. The goal? Facilitate cohabitation with cars. Motorists aren’t really used to seeing so many bikes on the roads. The highway code must therefore adapt.
From this Saturday, speed pedelecs (electric bicycles that go up to 45 km / h) can now travel on shared sidewalks, that is to say sidewalks shared by cyclists and pedestrians on well-defined areas . Attention, the sidewalk must be clearly indicated as “SHARED” via a sign.
Bicycles will now be able to park in car spaces. Some places, especially near schools for example, may be dedicated to bicycle parking during certain times (7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Between 6 p.m. and 7:30 a.m., residents could “recover” the car parking lot.
Center lane carriageways are part of the Highway Code. Left and right are dedicated to soft modes of transport, while the center is dedicated to cars that must give way all the time and to everyone.
Parking spaces dedicated to electric cars may be controlled. Police officers will now be able to ticket drivers parked in loading bays if they are not using the terminals.