Beith calls for action as thousands miss out on Cold Weather Payments  

Temperatures recorded at these Weather Stations triggers Cold Weatheer Payments for people in need. Local MP Sir Alan Beith has called on the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Iain Duncan Smith, to take urgent action and make sure people in need receive Cold Weather Payments. The recent spell of extremely cold weather has seen thousands of households across the country receive an extra £25 per week - but not people in parts of Northumberland. Cold Weather Payments are made to people receiving some means-tested benefits, including Pension Credit. To 'trigger' the payments, the average temperature at a specified weather station must be recorded as, or forecast to be, 0°C or below for seven consecutive days. But for a large part of Sir Alan's Berwick upon Tweed constituency, Boulmer is the specified weather station. Because of its coastal location, Boulmer tends to...