Jersey pensioners get first cold weather bonus

Pensioners who qualify for Jersey's new cold weather bonus have received their first payment.

The money is part of a new scheme to help older people in Jersey keep warm during the winter.

The bonus, £170.61 per household, was calculated using the average daily temperatures between January and April.

The States made 918 payments, totalling £156,000, to pensioners who do not get income support or pay income tax.

The bonus will be paid twice a year, in January and May.

Jersey's Social Security Minister, Senator Francis Le Gresley, said: "This new bonus extends support with heating costs to a wider group of pensioners."