Those bracing a chilly start to 2025 could find themselves up to £75 better off if the freezing temperatures persist over a period of time.
In response to the bitter cold, Government cold weather payments of £25 could be issued for each seven-day period of freezing conditions, offering some relief to millions. In the past, those in heavily snowed-in regions have received triple payments, totaling £75, which has been used to offset higher heating expenses.
The Department for Work and Pensions has specified that in England and Wales, approximately 4,116,000 individuals may qualify for Cold Weather Payment, which includes about 1,165,000 people who get Pension Credit. The payments come into play when any designated postcode area experiences or is predicted to see zero degrees Celsius or lower for a straight week, as per the closest Met Office weather station.
For locals in the Birmingham area, the Coleshill station is where they turn their watchful eyes. Of those covered by this station’s readings, there are 333,000 eligible individuals—including 94,000 Pension Credit beneficiaries, reports Birmingham Live.
A total of 71 weather stations across the nation are utilised to keep track of average temperatures. Each residential postcode district is linked to one of these stations, with Coleshill weather station data used for households in B1-21, B23-38, B40, B42-50, B60-80, B90-98, CV1-12, CV21-23, CV31-35, CV37, CV47, DY1-14, LE10, WS1-15, and WV1-16.
Cold Weather Payments can be claimed by those who receive any of the following: Universal Credit, Income Support, Pension Credit, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), or Support for Mortgage Interest. Those eligible for these benefits usually need to be receiving a pensioner or disability premium on top; have a disabled child; or a dependant child under five.
For those on Universal Credit, this means being on long-term sickness and in either of the incapacity groups for LCW (limited capability for work) or LCWRA (limited capability for work and work-related activity), or getting the disabled child element. The DWP has already issued 6,000 of these £25 payments in November as temperatures dropped in parts of northern England.
The scheme is no longer available in Scotland, where it has been replaced by a Winter Heating Payment of £58.75 given to everyone on eligible benefits regardless of the weather.
The Government is also providing the Warm Home Discount of £150 to benefits recipients living in high energy cost homes, along with the Winter Fuel Payment for pensioner households receiving means-tested benefits including Pension Credit.