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Almost 1.5 million households have acquired a one-off cost from the Division for Work and Pensions (DWP) following the freezing chilly temperatures skilled throughout the UK skilled within the first weeks of 2026.
Over £35 million has been spent on the scheme this yr, the division has confirmed, as thousands and thousands obtain their chilly climate cost of £25 or £50.
Areas throughout the nation had been battered by robust winds, snow and temperatures as little as -12C in January, with tough situations persevering with into February.
To assist help folks in the course of the chilly snap, the DWP ran its chilly climate cost scheme for qualifying households. The is a one-off cost of £25 that’s triggered for each seven-day interval the place the temperature of an space is at or beneath zero levels.
Listed below are the affected postcode areas which have seen a cost triggered so far:
In Northern Eire, postcodes the place cost has been triggered are: BT24, BT25, BT26, BT30, BT31, BT32, BT33, and BT34.
Work and pensions secretary, Pat McFadden, mentioned: “This help is a lifeline for susceptible households when temperatures plummet.
“Mixed with our wider price of residing help – together with a better Nationwide Dwelling Wage, £150 off vitality payments, and a £300 Winter Gas Fee for over 9 million pensioners – these measures are making an actual distinction to households throughout the nation.”
When will I obtain my chilly climate cost?
These eligible will get the cost robotically. They need to arrive in the identical checking account they obtain profit funds, inside 14 working days of the chilly interval, with the cost reference “DWP CWP”.
This could now have handed for all funds, however those that imagine they’re eligible however haven’t acquired the cost ought to contact the DWP.
Am I eligible for a chilly climate cost?
These eligible for the chilly climate cost should obtain at the very least one of many following:
Those that should not receiving pension credit score may even sometimes must have a well being situation, caring obligations, or younger or disabled youngsters.
They have to additionally stay in an space that has skilled seven days of zero or sub-zero temperatures.
The DWP depends on Met Workplace gear to measure temperatures throughout all eligible UK postcodes. Those that disagree with the judgement are capable of enchantment on to the division.
Though the affected areas cowl elements of Scotland, these residing within the nation won’t obtain a chilly climate cost. The Scottish authorities has changed the scheme with its annual winter heating funds.
Full record of eligible postcodes
A complete of 17 out of the Met Workplace’s 71 climate stations triggered the cost in the course of the week ending 9 January, 14 of them for the primary time this winter.
The best variety of funds (241,000) was triggered by the station at Rostherne in Cheshire, protecting folks residing in a lot of east Cheshire and southern Larger Manchester.
Some 136,000 funds had been triggered by the climate station at Morpeth in Northumberland, protecting many individuals throughout the county in addition to a lot of Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead and Sunderland.
Under is the complete record of over 700 postcodes eligible for the chilly climate cost:
