The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has activated Cold Weather Payments in almost 250 postcode areas across England and Wales today. This decision follows the Met Office’s issuance of numerous winter weather warnings for the upcoming week. More than half a million households are set to benefit from these payments, receiving £25 each to assist with heating expenses.
The latest round of payments has been initiated in a total of 246 postcode zones, encompassing regions such as Greater Manchester, Cumbria, Staffordshire, Gloucestershire, as well as parts of Wales and Northern Ireland. The complete list of postcodes eligible for the triggered payments is available for reference.
Cold Weather Payments are disbursed to individuals in England and Wales who are recipients of various benefits. While a similar scheme operates in Northern Ireland, in Scotland, support for heating bills is provided annually rather than in response to specific cold weather spells.
Up to this point in the winter season, £25 payments have been activated for 697 postcode areas, with 18 districts receiving two payments due to extended cold conditions lasting two weeks. The latest payments are expected to reach an estimated 532,000 households, with Greater Manchester alone accounting for around 336,000 recipients. The total expenditure for the Cold Weather Payments triggered today is projected to amount to £13.3 million.
In England and Wales, a payment is triggered when average temperatures are forecasted to drop below zero for seven consecutive days. Meteorologists anticipate a cold spell leading into the New Year, with subzero temperatures anticipated in various regions.
Approximately 3.9 million individuals are eligible for Cold Weather Payments under the DWP scheme, with 1.2 million of them receiving Pensions Credit. The benefits that may qualify individuals for the Cold Weather Payment include Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Universal Credit, and Support for Mortgage Interest.
Not all beneficiaries of these benefits automatically receive Cold Weather Payments. Eligibility for the payment is determined by several factors, with detailed information available on GOV.UK.
The £25 payments are directly credited to recipients’ bank accounts within 14 working days, labeled with a payment reference containing the customer’s National Insurance number followed by ‘DWP CWP’. Application for this payment is not required.
Cold Weather Payments have been triggered by various weather stations, such as Rochdale, Rostherne, Hurn, Carlisle, Little Rissington, Keele, Llysdinam, Wittering, Shawbury, and in Northern Ireland by the Katesbridge weather station.