The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will pay eligible state pensioners £200 within weeks.
As winter approaches and temperatures continue to drop, the hidden cost to pensioners of removing the universal winter fuel payment will become clear. For @onlinehyphen I spoke to the communities who feel most at risk from the changes. https://t.co/on2UuzsyCD
— Morgan Ofori (@morgankofori) September 24, 2024
Individuals born before September 22, 1958, will qualify for the £200 Winter Fuel Payment this year if they also receive specific benefits such as Pension Credit or Income Support. You can claim Guarantee Credit if your weekly income is less than £218.15 for singles or £332.95 for couples.
“It leaves them at risk of illness due to reduced heating & increased reliance on an already overstretched NHS”.@Abdullah7866 on how the winter fuel payments will impact the most vulnerable pensioners this winter. https://t.co/MMMAKewYXx
— Bahu Trust (@bahutrustuk) September 24, 2024
You might still qualify if you meet other criteria such as being a carer, having a severe disability, incurring certain housing costs, or being responsible for a child or young person who usually resides with you. Claimants who have reached the state pension age are not usually entitled to Universal Credit due to the upper age limit. There is an exception for ‘mixed age couples’ where one partner has reached the qualifying age.
The payment is usually made automatically to eligible individuals between mid-November and December. Pensioners over the age of 80 will receive £300.
Newport is the latest Labour council to have a dance around the issue of axed winter fuel payments – per report from my #LDReporter colleague @NThomasWales https://t.co/dMIBAwjiaz
— Twm Owen (@NewsatTwm) September 25, 2024
The last date for backdating a claim for Pension Credit to September 22 is December 21, given the claimant met the entitlement conditions for the past three months.
Those entitled to Pension Credit for at least one day of the Winter Fuel Payment qualifying week will automatically receive the payment. Under new rules, pensioners living in 25 different EU countries and over the state pension age may be eligible for the £300 payment if they receive Pension Credit, a benefit equivalent to Pension Credit, or another qualifying benefit from the EEA country or Switzerland. The DWP has not published a full list of entitled benefits from these countries, but it confirmed that eligibility criteria remain the same.
Stephen Timms, the UK’s Minister for Social Security and Disability, recently stated that cuts to the winter fuel allowance may eventually help reduce pensioner poverty by increasing the take-up rate of pension credit. Timms said, “The chancellor has made decisions which need to be made to sort out the very serious problems in the government finances which we’ve been left with. And I’m hoping that, over time, this measure will actually reduce pensioner poverty by increasing the take-up of pension credit.”
Currently, only pensioners who qualify for pension credit will continue to receive the winter fuel payment, which can be worth up to £300 per household.
According to the latest government statistics, only 63% of eligible pensioners are claiming this credit. The government has launched a campaign to encourage more pensioners to claim pension credit, with the goal of increasing the take-up rate by 5 percentage points. This increment is expected to assist roughly 100,000 more pensioners.
However, the measure has faced criticism. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation pointed out that means-testing the winter fuel payment could have various implications, including pushing some pensioners further into poverty due to housing costs.
winter fuel payment eligibility explained
According to former Lib Dem pensions minister Steve Webb, around 1.9 million pensioners are living in relative poverty. Of these, only about 300,000 are receiving pension credit, and another 800,000 do not qualify but are struggling due to other expenses. Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, argued that the policy could be beneficial in the long run because it aims to direct aid to those who need it most.
Nonetheless, this has not alleviated all concerns within the Labour movement. Members of the Unite union protested at the Labour party conference, emphasizing the need to protect the most vulnerable segments of the population. Labour MP Rosie Duffield joined the discussion, advocating for the reversal of the winter fuel allowance cuts.
Duffield stated, “Our Party was created to protect the most vulnerable, and today it has determined that it must never step back from that mandate.”
The political climate remains tense as discussions about the impact of these measures continue. Labour leader Keir Starmer has also been in the news, urging British nationals in Lebanon to leave the country immediately amid escalating tensions. Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Starmer called for de-escalation and urged Britons to take commercial flights out of Lebanon without delay.
In other news, Michael Gove, a former cabinet minister and a prominent figure in the Vote Leave Brexit campaign, has been appointed as the new editor of the Spectator magazine. This appointment follows the recent takeover involving GB News backer Sir Paul Marshall. Wales’ Labour first minister, Eluned Morgan, has likened her influence on Keir Starmer to her influence on Donald Trump.
Speaking to Put the World to Rights on S4C, Morgan said: “Let us not overstate my influence” on the UK Labour leader and prime minister. When asked why she had not called for a rethink on winter fuel payment cuts, she remarked, “I could call on Donald Trump to do things too.”
Plaid Cymru described the comments as “disgraceful and concerning,” while the Welsh Conservatives said they were not surprised. According to UK government estimates, the decision by Sir Keir’s new Labour government to cut winter fuel payments for most pensioners is expected to affect 400,000 homes in Wales.
Now, only pensioners receiving pension credits or other benefits will be eligible for the payment, which is worth up to £300. Responding to criticism of that policy and its effect on Welsh pensioners, Morgan said she would focus on what was within her responsibility. “There are things I can’t influence,” she stated.
When pressed on whether she might have more influence with a fellow UK Labour leader than the former US president, Morgan clarified: “I have a relationship now with Keir Starmer, but I’ve only met him once, so let us not overstate my influence.”
Andrew RT Davies, Welsh Conservative leader in the Senedd, said it was “no surprise that the first minister has little influence over the prime minister.”
“Over the past 25 years, Labour in Wales has been a case study in how not to govern, so not many people would be turning to the first minister for advice,” he added. “But on important matters, such as the unforgivable decision to scrap winter fuel payments, Starmer and Morgan are, sadly, singing from the same hymn sheet anyway.”
Plaid Cymru Senedd member Sioned Williams stated, “Time and again, our new first Minister refuses to accept that she needs to stand up to Westminster to protect the interests of the people of Wales, despite saying a number of times they would benefit from having two Labour governments at each end of the M4.”
“It’s disgraceful and concerning hearing her deny she has influence,” she added. This discussion highlights ongoing tensions between Welsh leadership and Westminster, particularly over policies affecting vulnerable populations like pensioners.
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