DWP pays out more than £4million to Cold Weather Payment postcodes

New investigation has recovered that the payments person already been triggered 12 times

New anaylsis of authorities statistic has recovered that much than £4million has been distributed successful 161,000 Cold Weather Payments this wintertime truthful far. The DWP scheme, which provides £25 payments to eligible households erstwhile section upwind presumption records temperatures astatine oregon beneath 0C for 7 consecutive days, has already been triggered 12 times owed to sub-zero conditions, according to Uswitch.com's number-crunching.

These payments are automatically sent wrong 14 moving days of the trigger event. Households whitethorn suffice if they person definite benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), specified arsenic Pension Credit.

This winter, the strategy has been activated doubly successful postcode areas including Penrith successful Cumbria, Otterburn, Northumberland and Langholm, Dumfries and Galloway. Areas wherever the strategy has been triggered erstwhile see Alnwick, Northumberland; Bradford, West Yorkshire; Leek, Staffordshire; Hawes, North Yorkshire; Duns, Scottish Borders; and Llanwddyn, Powys.

Cold Weather Payment areas truthful acold this winter

Despite the acold drawback this January, lone 9 areas met the criteria for the Cold Weather Payments. The 12 triggers this wintertime are the lowest magnitude of payments for this constituent successful the twelvemonth since 2021/22, erstwhile the allowance was triggered lone six times successful the whole winter.

Source: Uswitch.com

It was a antithetic communicative successful the wintertime of 2022/3, erstwhile 89 locations had been triggered betwixt November and the 3rd week of January. That year’s wintertime saw a monolithic 118 triggers, which resulted successful allowances of £138million being paid out.

Residents adjacent the Albemarle upwind presumption adjacent Alnwick, Northumberland, person seen the highest Cold Weather Payments successful the past 4 winters. The upwind presumption has been triggered six times successful that period, with the 663,000 eligible residents receiving much than £16million successful that time.

Highest Cold Weather Payments since November 2022

Source: Uswitch.com investigation of information from the Department for Work and Pensions

Ben Gallizzi, vigor adept astatine Uswitch.com, said: “Many households crossed the state person experienced freezing temperatures successful the past fewer weeks. Cold Weather Payments assistance galore susceptible radical support the heating connected erstwhile they mightiness not beryllium capable to spend it, and they are much invaluable than ever.

“There are plentifulness of ways you tin enactment to support lukewarm erstwhile the mercury plunges, including bleeding your radiators regularly to forestall them from getting acold spots and keeping obstructions specified arsenic sofas distant from them, arsenic the objects volition sorb the heat. Draught-proofing is different speedy and cost-effective mode to trim however overmuch vigor your location loses and tin adjacent prevention you astir £20 per twelvemonth connected your energy bills.

“For each households, to support costs down it’s important to way your vigor usage and alteration your habits successful a harmless and manageable way. Anyone who is disquieted astir paying their vigor measure should scope retired to their supplier, which mightiness beryllium capable to connection proposal oregon support.”

Staying lukewarm successful winter

Use a blistery h2o bottle - a classical blistery h2o vessel tin marque each the quality to your assemblage temperature, particularly if you’re moving from location and walk clip sitting astatine a desk.

Drink up - Pop the kettle connected and support yourself lukewarm by drinking blistery drinks. Better still, lukewarm liquids specified arsenic herbal beverage number towards your regular h2o consumption.

Enjoy a bully blistery meal - Hot nutrient similar soups, stews, and your wintertime favourites are not lone a large mode to prolong your energy, they volition lukewarm you from the inside.

Wear slippers and screen your extremities to vigor up your joints - a hat, scarf, and fingerless gloves volition forestall your somesthesia dropping erstwhile you’re little active, portion ensuring you enactment comfortable.

Wear layers of clothing - opt for a thermal vest arsenic a basal furniture and deterioration much connected apical truthful that, if you bash get a spot warm, it’s easier to peel backmost the layers and chill down arsenic and erstwhile you request to.