Storm Bert is set to bring a myriad of storm, rain and wind to the UK over the weekend according to the Met Office, continuing the cold snap that confronted many last week with the reality that summer is well and truly behind us. However, the gloomy weather could bring some much needed relief for select households eligible for Cold Weather Payments.
These £25 payments should be automatically issued to eligible households for every seven consecutive days the temperature in their postcode reads at an average of zero degrees celsius or below. It’s one of the seasonal benefits offered by the DWP to help people with rising energy costs in the colder months alongside Winter Fuel Payments and the Warm Home Discount Scheme.
The payment should be with you within 14 working days of the cold weather, paid into the same bank account where you receive your benefit payments. You can also use the Government’s postcode checker here to see if your postcode has experienced severe enough weather to be eligible.
While the payment is supposed to be automatic, some may find they haven’t been paid despite being eligible. For the latter scenario, you can contact the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus that deals with your benefits or add a note to your Universal Credit journal. You can also ring the Universal Credit helpline which can be found on letters about your claim.
To qualify you must claim either Pension Credit, Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit or Support for Mortgage Interest to receive automatic payments. You can also be eligible if you have recently had a baby or a child under the age of five come to live with you and receive certain benefits but you will need to let the Jobcentre know.
Cold Weather Payments, Warm Home Discounts and some other stagnant DWP help like Christmas Bonuses, have been slammed for their “outdated” numerical value. Citizen’s Advice chief executive Dame Claire Moriarty told BBC Radio 4: “It was set at a time when energy prices were so much lower than they are at the moment.”
The current system was introduced in 1986 at £5 per person per week and updated in 1995 to £8.50 a week. In 2008 it was uprated again to £25 in what was meant to be a rise for that winter season only but has remained at that level ever since.