Who gets UK cold weather payments as temperatures plummet

Thousands of homes across England will receive cold weather payments as temperatures plummet this week, triggering the government scheme. Eligible residents in more than 300 postcode areas will benefit from the ã25 payment, including Greater Manchester, parts of Cumbria and Staffordshire.

The payment is issued by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) when the average temperature in an area is recorded, or forecasted, to drop below zero degrees Celsius for over seven consecutive days. If this is a case, those who are eligible receive the cash for each seven-day period of freezing temperatures, between November 1 and March 31.

Households may be considered eligible if they receive one of the following: pension credit, income support, income-based Jobseekers Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Universal Credit, support for Mortgage Interest. You will generally automatically receive Cold Weather Payments if you are claiming Pension Credit.

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The payment is distributed automatically and you don't need to apply for it. You can check to see if your area is eligible on the government's website here.

Thousands of households will receive a cold payment as temperatures drop (PA)

Temperatures are expected to reach a high of 1C in Manchester today, with the mercury dropping to 0C by the evening. The Met Office has issued a rare Level 3 Cold Weather alert, which is in place until 9am on Monday (December 12). Yellow warnings for ice are currently in place for large parts of the UK for today (Thursday) and tomorrow.

A cold weather alert was issued by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), lasting until Monday evening, which means the cold weather could impact your health. According to the Met Office, it's expected to stay cold into next week, with sleet, snow and ice all possible.

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