Peter Franzen criticises government for winter fuel cuts

Now, before the “baby-boomer bashers” bleat on about home-owning, rich, middle-class pensioners, I should make it clear that I am talking about those vulnerable pensioners who are set to be denied the winter fuel allowance because they do not qualify for pension credit by a few pounds a week when assessing income.

The cost of heating homes under the energy price cap is set to increase by 10pc shortly, and those now living on the breadline may be facing a choice of heat or eat when £200 to £300 is cut from their annual income at a stroke.

It is difficult to conceive that it really is a Labour government committing daylight robbery from some of the most vulnerable in our society.

I thought it would be the government of social justice.

It was always a flaw in the winter fuel allowance scheme that the payment was universal and it should have involved some measure of means testing, but to simply sweep it away without any regard to unintended consequences is a callous act.

Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, suggests a stop-gap solution to allow better targeting of the allowance and urges the Government to consider it.  "There's a usable precedent from the emergency energy crisis measures announced in April 2022, which I'd urge the Government to look at,” he says.

"Then, a payment was made to homes in council tax bands A to D – as an imperfect but workable proxy for lower household incomes.

"That would allow an additional group of lower to middle-income pensioners to keep the payments and mitigate bill shocks. Councils' discretionary funds could also be funded as in April 2022, for the limited numbers who still need help but do not qualify.”

The Scottish Government had previously announced plans to replace winter fuel payments from winter 2024 with its own scheme called the “Pension Age Winter Heating Payment”. These new payments would be worth up to £300 and were originally intended to be paid to everyone over State Pension age.

However, following the UK Government’s announcement on axing the payment, the Scottish Government has confirmed that the Pension Age Winter Heating Payments will be means-tested also when they launch in winter 2025.

It shows there is room for manoeuvre to more compassionately remove the winter fuel payments in the future, and make it better targeted. But it seems the Westminster government is not prepared to listen.

It is heart-breaking to listen to the elderly, who are marginally above the pension credit criteria, speak of their fear about what winter holds for them in the coming months.

The upcoming change to winter fuel payment eligibility means it is more important than ever to make sure you claim what you are entitled to.

Over 800,000 people who are eligible for Pension Credit currently get it, and it is often a key to qualifying for other help – so may unlock £1,000s in extra support. You can log into Martin Lewis’ website and use the 10-minute benefits’ check to see what you could claim.

If you are struggling, it is also worth contacting your council to see what help it can offer. Under the Household Support Fund, councils in England can access funding to help those most in need with the cost of daily essentials, including energy bills.

The social injustice felt by so many people at the scrapping of the winter payment for needy pensioners has sparked various petitions calling on the Government to make a U-turn.

But so far, Sir Keir Starmer and his Chancellor Rachel Reeves have adopted the Thatcherite catchphrase: “You turn if you want to. The lady's not for turning.”

Surely a Government with an ounce of conscience would abandon this cruel decision on the winter fuel payments for another 12 months. It would give it time to introduce a targeted scheme that ensures the poorer pensioners, who just miss out because of the current pension credit threshold, are not left in the cold this winter.

*Peter Franzen is a retired EDP editor