Cold Weather Payments to stop for Scots by this winter…

Cold Weather Payments to stop for Scots by this winter as new payment begins

The original Cold Weather Payments are set to cease this winter for those living in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is set to introduce a new heating benefit by February next year, reports the Daily Record. This payment will give approximately 400,000 households on low income, a guaranteed £50 payment on their energy bills.

The current heating benefit, delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), is triggered when temperatures are recorded or forecast at below zero degrees Celsius for a week consecutively.

The £25 payment is typically paid between November 1 and March 31. However, the new Low Income Winter Heating Assistance will be administered by Social Security Scotland, and will be paid each year - despite the weather.

In 2021, there were 854,000 payments made to Cold Weather Payment recipients in Scotland. This totalled to a payment nationwide of more than £21 million.

The Scottish Government said that the new £50 payment will not affect any other benefits households are currently getting from DWP, including the Winter Fuel Payment, which includes a £300 Pensioner Cost of Living Payment this year.

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Social Security Scotland also said: "If you’re currently eligible for Cold Weather Payment from DWP and your circumstances have not changed, you’ll be eligible for a Low Income Winter Heating Assistance payment.”

Payments are also automatic into bank accounts, so there's no need to make a claim. MyGov.Scot has guidance also, stating: "Low Income Winter Heating Assistance will provide support to people irrespective of weather conditions or temperature levels where they live.”