Mapped - new Cold Weather Payments announced meaning some get double after DWP update
The DWP has issued a second Cold Weather Payment for parts of the UK with 300 postcodes now eligible
by Ben Hurst, Paul Gallagher · Wales OnlineThe DWP has issued a second Cold Weather Payment for parts of the UK, with thousands of people now entitled to £50 towards their heating bills. The Cold Weather Payment was triggered for eleven postcode districts in Cumbria. It is estimated that around 4,000 people will receive the second payment after temperatures around the Lake District dipped below freezing last week.
These are the first areas to receive a second Cold Weather Payment so far this winter. Nearly 300 other postcode areas in the North of England and East Midlands have been given a single payment of £25. Payments have also been made in eleven areas in Northern Ireland. In most other areas of England and also all of Wales, temperatures have not dropped below freezing for long enough to trigger any payment from the DWP.
The eleven postcode areas in Cumbria to receive a second payment include Windermere, the Lakes and Coniston, after freezing temperatures recorded at the Shap weather centre. The first payment was triggered on 27 November and the second on 1 December.
Use our interactive map below to see the areas where the cold weather payments have been made
This widget requires javascript to work.
Interactive
The full list of postcode areas where eligible people will receive a second Cold Weather Payment, totalling £50 so far this winter, are:
CA10Cliburn, Cumbria
CA11Catterlen, Cumbria
CA12Keswick, Cumbria
CA16Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria
CA17Kirkby Stephen, Cumbria
LA8Kendal, Cumbria
LA9Kendal, Cumbria
LA10Sedbergh, Cumbria
LA21Coniston, Cumbria
LA22Lakes, Cumbria
LA23Windermere, Cumbria
Although these areas in Cumbria have received two Cold Weather Payments, the bordering areas to the west such as Cockermouth, have so far not received a single payment. That’s because temperatures at St Bees Head weather station on the coast have not fallen below freezing for long enough.
A total of more than 580,000 people have so far received a Cold Weather Payment this winter. Last year more than 5.5 million Cold Weather Payments were made by the DWP over the whole winter.
The DWP says those claiming the following benefits may be eligible for the Cold Weather Payment; Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), Universal Credit, Support for Mortgage Interest.
Not all those receiving these benefits will automatically receive a Cold Weather Payment. There are a number of factors which will determine whether a payment will be made and full details of those eligible are here: https://www.gov.uk/cold-weather-payment/eligibility
The payments are triggered if average temperatures in an area have been recorded at, or are forecast to be, below freezing for seven consecutive days.
Recipients are automatically paid £25 for each seven-day period of cold weather running across the winter period between 1 November 2023 and 31 March 2024.