Families claiming certain benefits will be getting an extra £25 to help cope with winter bills next month - but only if the thermometer dips below freezing for seven days in a row.
The Cold Weather Payments scheme kicks off again on November 1 and runs until March 31, and will pay the money each time the temperatures fall to zero degrees or less for seven or more consecutive days. The scheme is run by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and applies every winter.
But figures published by the Government this year show that although there are an estimated 4 million eligible recipients for Cold Weather Payments in Great Britain, milder winters mean the occasions when the payments are made are few and far between. Last year, there was only six triggers in the whole of the November-March period, and all of them were in Scotland from late December to early January.
