FREE HEATING: 50,000 families will benefit from government help in Spain

SPAIN’S central government has announced 50,029 families in Malaga province will receive up to €100 of gas and heating for free.

The benefit, which ranges from €25 to €100, will be offered to help with heating, hot water, or cooking costs for some of the area’s most vulnerable households.

The ‘social thermal bond’ will be paid directly by bank transfer to residents during the first few months of the years, subsidising utilities bills by between 25 and 40 per cent for large families, pensioners on the basic pension, and families on a low income.

As well as economic factors, Spanish officials will take into account the temperatures in different areas, with the highest-altitude towns in Malaga being seen as some of the most vulnerable.

These include Alfarnate, Alfarnatejo, Atajate, Archidona, Algatocin, Ronda, Cuevas del Becerro, Cañete la Real, Cartajima, Comares, Parauta, Pujerra, Serrato, and Montecorto.