Over 17,000 West Lothian families receive £1.34m towards heating bills last winter
Last winter over 17,420 children and families across West Lothian enjoyed warmer homes after receiving a total of £1,347,500 towards their heating bills from Social Security Scotland. Winter Heating Payment is paid automatically to people who get certain low-income benefits, including households with young children, disabled people or older people. It has replaced the Department for Work and Pensions' (DWP) Cold Weather Payment in Scotland. It is a guaranteed payment that everyone who is eligible receives, no matter what the weather. Cold Weather Payment is only paid if the average temperature falls - or is forecast to fall - to freezing or below for a full week. Child Winter Heating Payment was introduced by the Scottish Government in November 2020 and is only available in Scotland. It is paid once a year to children and young people if they are under 19 years old and get certain benefits. A total of 15,735 Winter Heating Payments, worth £924,500 were made for 2024/2025, along with 1,685 Child Winter Heating Payments, worth £423,000. The figures, taken from statistics released on Tuesday 29 April, also show that 95% of Winter Heating Payments were made by December 2024 and 93% of Child Winter Heating Payments were made by October 2024. Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: 'We have issued over 505,100 payments to families on low incomes, and those supporting children or young people with a disability, to help with the cost of heating their homes. 'Many people are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and higher energy bills. The importance of these payments was brought home to everyone this month with the Energy Price Cap rising by 6.4%. "Ofgem estimates that this will add £9.25 a month to the typical household's energy bill. 'This year we will also be providing extra support to pensioners. While the DWP's Winter Fuel Payment will only be available to some pensioners, Pension Age Winter Heating Payment will provide money to every pensioner household in the country. The Scottish Government will continue to protect pensioners and people on low incomes in Scotland.' Don't miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier. Sign up to our free newsletter here .
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It is a guaranteed payment that everyone who is eligible receives, no matter what the weather - Cold Weather Payment is only paid if the average temperature falls - or is forecast to fall - to freezing or below for a full week. Child Winter Heating Payment was introduced by the Scottish Government in November 2020 and is only available in Scotland. It is paid once a year to children and young people if they are under 19-years-old and get certain benefits. The figures, taken from statistics released on April 29 also show that 95 per cent of Winter Heating Payments were made by December 2024 and 93 per cent of Child Winter Heating Payments were made by October 2024. Benefits and payments only available in Scotland Below is everything you need to know about devolved benefits and payments with direct links to the dedicated pages on the Social Security Scotland website here. 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