Special Cold Weather Payments have been triggered in parts of the Midlands. The payments are handed out to households during prolonged periods of very cold weather.
The areas of the country which will receive Cold Weather Payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been announced. A total of 51 postcode areas will receive the payments after meeting the requirements for the payments to be triggered.
Among them are a handful of areas in the Midlands. Five postcodes in Staffordshire make up the list.
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Households in Cheadle (ST10), Forsbrook (ST11), Bagnall (ST9), Leek (ST13) and Biddulph (ST8) will be paid. The Cold Weather Payments are worth £25.
They are issued to households struggling with bills financially. Around 91,000 households in the country will receive the payments to help with heating costs.
Although the Cold Weather Payments are a one-off, they are handed out for each period of very cold weather over seven days. These payments can only be handed out between the dates of November 1 and March 31. Households do not need to apply for Cold Weather Payments, with payments issued automatically to eligible households – find out more here.
Eligible households are those in receipt of benefits, such as Universal Credit, Income Support, Pension Credit, Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
The latest payments were triggered by a seven-day period of sub-zero temperatures in these areas which started on January 4 and extends until Saturday. Payments are triggered when the temperature has been recorded as, or forecasted to be, 0C or below for seven consecutive days.