Almost 4,000 households across East Renfrewshire will receive an automatic £50 boost from the Scottish Government’s new Winter Heating Payment in the coming weeks, regardless of the weather conditions.

The windfall replaces the Cold Weather Payment – a Westminster benefit administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) that only paid out when the temperature fell far enough for an extended period.

This meant residents missed out on financial support if it wasn’t cold enough for long enough.

The new £50 payment is guaranteed to be paid to every eligible household, whatever the weather is like.

It will be paid to those who are eligible either later this month or in March.

The move has been welcomed by Renfrewshire South MSP Tom Arthur, whose constituency includes Barrhead and Uplawmoor, as well as parts of Neilston and Newton Mearns.

He said: “This really is a massive improvement for around 3,900 hard-pressed households in East Renfrewshire.

“We have replaced the old Westminster payment, which only paid out when the temperature plunged for a sustained period, with a new Scottish payment that is reliable because it is guaranteed every year and does not depend on the temperature turning Baltic.

“It means those in need will get the much-needed extra cash this month or next without having to shiver away at home while hoping the weather stays cold long enough to trigger a payment.

“Last winter, no cold weather payments were made across whole swathes of the country. In total, only 11,000 people in the whole of the country received the cash from Westminster.

“This year, because of the SNP Scottish Government, around 3,900 households in East Renfrewshire alone will get an extra £50 to help with the Tory cost-of-living crisis.”