The Labour Government’s recent decision to restrict the Winter Fuel Payment to only pensioners in receipt of means-tested benefits like Pension Credit, as announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves is regressive and backward.
Age UK says that the estimated impact of this decision will mean 2 million pensioners who badly need the money to stay warm this winter will not receive it, including many who are eligible for the credit but don’t claim it.
One in five excess winter deaths are directly attributable to cold homes, and one in ten to fuel poverty. (1)
Labour’s policy will mean more pensioners will die from the cold this winter.
Winter Fuel Payments play a significant role in helping older residents of Cheshire East and across the UK afford heating during the coldest months, thereby preventing 'heat or eat' dilemmas and safeguarding health.
Age UK, the Countryside Alliance and other charities, are highly critical of this policy, highlighting the social injustice and potential health risks posed by this sudden change in approach.
We believe that the Winter Fuel Payment has been a lifeline for many older people across the UK and that restricting its availability solely to those on Pension Credit risks leaving many pensioners in financial hardship.
Whist some pensioners currently in receipt of the Winter Fuel Payment may not require it, many thousands across Cheshire East Borough, sit just above the cut-off for Pension Credit and will now lose their allowance.
The decision to means-test Winter Fuel Payments, especially with such short notice and without adequate compensatory measures, is deeply unfair and will disproportionately affect the health and well-being of our poorest older residents. The government’s approach fails to consider the administrative barriers and stigma that prevent eligible pensioners from claiming Pension Credit, leaving many without the support they desperately need.
Conservative MPs have tabled a motion in Parliament to stop Labour taking away winter fuel support from pensioners.
Sign here to show your support:
https://www.whatlaboursaid.com/winter-fuel-payment
THANK YOU
References:
1 Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) 2023
2 Public Health England: "Excess Winter Mortality in England and Wales
3. https://www.ageuk.org.uk/latest-press/articles/2024/age-uk-responds-to-…
