Quite a difference in the weather today. It was 14 this morning in Belfast.
The BBC reports that we should get our £600 energy payments in January, but I will not hold my breath.
From the report:
The UK government confirmed electricity firms will be funded for the payments, with direct debit customers receiving the money into their bank accounts.
Other customers will be sent a voucher to redeem the payment.
The money is intended to help with energy bills but people can use the cash payment as they see fit.
The payment is being delivered by the UK government in the absence of Stormont.
Vouchers will be sent to those who pay quarterly or who use a prepayment meter – thought to be around 500,000 households in Northern Ireland.
These vouchers can be redeemed for cash or paid into a bank account.
As it is a universal scheme people who have a second home, such as a holiday home, will be paid twice.
I am sure a lot of hard-up families out there could have been doing with the cash at Christmas time, but still better late than never.
The good news is you can spend the money on whatever you like; it does not need to be spent on energy.
I help to manage Slugger by taking care of the site as well as running our live events. My background is in business, marketing and IT. My politics tend towards middle-of-the-road pragmatism, I am not a member of any political party. Oddly for a member of the Slugger team, I am not that interested in daily politics, preferring to write about big ideas in society. When not stuck in front of a screen, I am a parkrun Run Director.
