The DWP has been urged to increase Cold Weather Payments from £25 to £40 or £50 as energy bills remain high and the current amount ‘barely scratches the surface’ of heating costs for millions of benefit claimants

The DWP has been urged to increase the payment amounts for a particular scheme. The programme is accessible to millions of benefit claimants, including those on Universal Credit and Pension Credit.

The Cold Weather Payments scheme offers £25 payments when temperatures in your area drop to, or are forecast to fall, below zero degrees Celsius for seven consecutive days. You could receive multiple £25 payments into your bank account through the scheme if the payments are triggered in your specific location more than once during a five-month period.

The scheme runs from November 1 to March 31. People claiming these six benefits may qualify for the payment into their bank account:

Given the rising cost of living, one question is whether the £25 amount should be increased. Matthew Sheeran, external relations manager at finance support organisation Money Wellness, warned that £25 “just doesn’t go very far anymore”.

He said: “Energy bills are still high, and for many households, that amount barely scratches the surface of a week’s heating costs. Increasing it to around £40 or £50 would make a much more meaningful difference for people trying to keep their homes warm.”

Raising the payments to £40 would mean an additional £15 each time whil lifting it to £50 would add another £25 to the payments, reports the Mirror.

When are Cold Weather Payments issued?

Regarding when Cold Weather Payments are deposited into accounts, the Government website specifies: “After each period of very cold weather in your area, you should get a payment within 14 working days. It’s paid into the same bank or building society account as your benefit payments.”

For those living in Scotland, the payments scheme has been replaced by the Winter Heating Payment, which has broadly the same eligibility criteria concerning which benefits you must claim. This is a one-off sum that’s distributed regardless of weather conditions, and is valued at £59.75. Payments are made between December and the end of February.

Sharp energy bills rise

A recent development causing concern for bill payers is the escalating price of oil due to the conflict in Iran. This has already significantly increased the cost of heating oil.

Mr Sheeran described the sudden price surge as “really worrying”. He explained: “They’ve jumped massively in a very short space of time because of the conflict in the Middle East, with most quotes now more than double what they were just weeks ago. In some areas, a typical 500 litre delivery is hundreds of pounds more expensive than before.

He explained: “That’s a huge hit for the millions of households off the gas grid who rely on oil for heat and hot water. And they’re not protected by the energy price cap, so every crude oil spike feeds straight through to their bills.”

He offered some guidance for those affected by this unexpected rise in expenses. The consumer expert advised: “If you’re in that position, it’s worth seeing if you can join a local oil buying group to get a better price, check whether you qualify for schemes like the Warm Home Discount or the Household Support Fund, and ask your supplier about spreading the cost. But this sudden squeeze really highlights how vulnerable off‐grid and rural households are when energy prices go up.”