Special bonus payments to help people cope with the cost of living are landing in bank accounts. A number of support schemes are running for low-income households over winter.
These include the Warm Home Discount, Household Support Fund and Cold Weather Payments. Cash is being paid out from all of these, providing a boost for millions of people.
The Warm Homes Discount knocks £150 off energy bills one time only over winter. It is aimed at those most likely to be worried about heating costs during the cold winter months including vulnerable pensioners and poorer families.
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Those who get the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit are eligible along with other adults on low incomes with high energy costs. These are likely to be people claiming some form of benefits.
The Government-funded discounts can be applied at any time between October and March, so could happen for some during January. Struggling households can also apply for cash grants from the Household Support Fund (HSF).
The fund is made up of Government cash by is paid out by local councils. Applications for payments can be made to local authorities. They will usually have to show they are struggling to afford essentials like food, energy and water. Applicants don’t have to be receiving benefits.
Elsewhere, Cold Weather Payments are also entering bank accounts in the current cold snap which has seen Britain gripped by sub-zero temperatures. These are worth £25 for every week of very cold weather and households in some areas have already received £50.
They are issued locally depending on temperatures recorded at weather stations. Despite these support schemes, a key one – Winter Fuel Payments – have been removed for millions of pensioners this year.