Overview
- Payments are being credited to some claimants following an early-January freeze that met the scheme’s seven-day temperature trigger.
- More areas were activated on January 3, including parts of Shropshire and north-east Wales, adding to an extensive list already eligible.
- An amber cold-health alert from UKHSA is in effect for England until Tuesday, with Met Office snow and ice warnings in multiple regions.
- The scheme pays £25 per seven-day period and is automatic for people on qualifying benefits such as Pension Credit, certain Income Support/JSA/ESA categories, and specific Universal Credit cases.
- Cold Weather Payments cover England, Wales and Northern Ireland, while Scotland provides a separate one-off Winter Heating Payment of nearly £60.