Thousands of households across Neath Port Talbot are being urged to apply for their winter fuel support payments without delay after the Welsh Government doubled to £200 the amount it will pay to eligible applicants.

In total, Neath Port Talbot Council has already issued Winter Fuel payments totalling nearly £2m.

The Welsh Government announced on February 1st that an additional £100 payment would be made automatically to those who had applied and received the initial Winter Fuel Payment of £100.

Neath Port Talbot Council has already processed the additional payment and advised applicants by email that the payment will have reached their account on Friday 4th February.

More than 9,500 customers will get the extra payment this week.

As part of support package of more than £50m to address immediate pressures on living costs Welsh Government has made available over £38m through its Winter Fuel Support Scheme.

Eligible households can claim the one-off £200 payment from their local council to provide support towards paying their winter fuel bills. All applications must be received by a local council before February 18th 2022.

The scheme is open to households where one member is in receipt of these working age means-tested welfare benefits (at any time between December 1st 2021 and 31st January 2022):

Income Support,
Income Based Job Seekers Allowance, or
Income Based Employment & Support Allowance, or
Universal Credit, or
Working Tax Credits.

The payment will be available to all eligible households regardless of whether they pay for their fuel on a pre-payment meter, by direct debit or by paying a bill quarterly.

An eligible household for this scheme is one which is responsible for paying the fuel bills for their property.

Cllr Carol Clement-Williams, Neath Port Talbot Council’s Cabinet Member for Finance, said: “We all know winter is the hardest time for fuel bills and this year the problems for hard pressed families are even worse due to the steep increase in the cost of fuel.

“That’s why our staff are pulling out all the stops to ensure applicants who are eligible will get paid as quickly as possible to help them deal with the rising cost of living.

“It’s vital that people apply for the grant before the deadline.”