Cold snap across Northern Ireland triggers winter weather payments for some

A Met Office yellow warning for ice in parts of Northern Ireland has been extended until. The Loanends area outside Belfast. Picture By: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press.
A Met Office yellow warning for ice in parts of Northern Ireland has been extended until. The Loanends area outside Belfast. Credit: Arthur Allison/Pacemaker Press.

A drop in temperature across parts of Northern Ireland has triggered the first of this winter’s Cold Weather Payments.

Cold Weather Payments will be paid to people who qualify for the payment in postcode areas covered by the Met Office’s Katesbridge weather station.

The postcode areas affected are BT24, BT25, BT26 and BT30, BT31, BT32, BT33 and BT34. Only those qualifying customers living in these postcode areas will receive the £25 payment.

Payments will be made automatically and there is no need to make a claim. Those eligible can expect to receive their payment by Wednesday 14 December 2022. The Cold Weather Payment is available when the average temperature is recorded or is forecast to be zero degrees centigrade or below, for a period of seven consecutive days. It comes as an ice warning for Northern Ireland was extended into Sunday. The warning is in place for parts of Antrim, Down, Londonderry and Tyrone. There were snow showers in parts on Friday morning with the cold snap expected to last until next week.

A temperature of -7.4c was recorded in Katesbridge overnight - the lowest temperature in almost two years.

A Met Office spokesperson said: "Frequent wintry showers are likely to fall onto frozen surfaces in places, leading to the formation of icy patches.

"These showers are expected to fall as snow on high ground, with the potential for several centimetres to accumulate, especially over the high ground of north Wales."

Snow was forecast for the region on Friday night with temperatures set to drop as low as minus 4C.

Do I qualify for cold weather payments?

To qualify for a Cold Weather Payment a person must be receiving:

  • State Pension Credit; income related Employment and Support Allowance and are in the Work Related Activity or Support Group;

  • Universal Credit that includes an amount in respect of a disabled child or qualifying young person, for at least one day in a period of cold weather; or

  • Income Support, income based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income related Employment and Support Allowance for at least one day in a period of cold weather; and have any of the following: a dependent child aged under five; a relevant pensioner or disability premium;

  • Child Tax Credit which includes a relevant disability element for a child or qualifying young person who is disabled or severely disabled; or

  • Universal Credit for at least one day in a period of cold weather; and where a Cold Weather Payment is payable in relation to a recorded period of cold weather they must not be employed or self-employed on any day during that period; or where a Cold Weather Payment is payable in relation to a forecasted period of cold weather they must not be employed or self-employed on the day that the Met Office supplies the Department with the forecast; and they must also have any of the following: a dependent child aged under five; be in receipt of or have an underlying entitlement to Limited Capability for Work or Limited Capability for Work and Work Related Activity; Support for Mortgage Interest, and have any of the following: a dependent child aged under 5; a relevant pensioner or disability premium;

  • Child Tax Credit which includes a relevant disability element for a child or qualifying young person who is disabled or severely disabled.

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