State pensioners have just ‘days left’ to keep their £300 Winter Fuel Payment after Labour announced the benefit will be axed for most people this year.
In previous years, the £300 Winter Fuel Payment was automatically paid to everyone who was in receipt of the state pension.
But from this winter, Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced that the £300 payment will not be paid to everyone but instead only be issued to pensioners who claim certain qualifying benefits such as pension credit.
In order to be eligible for Winter Fuel Allowance, you must be claiming at least one of: Pension Credit, Universal Credit, income related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), income based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or Income Support.
You must have successfully claimed for and be in receipt of one of these qualifying benefits by September 16-22.
If you are not eligible by that week, you will not be able to receive the £300 Winter Fuel Allowance.
As well as the expected rise in fuel costs coming into the winter months, the average household energy bill is to increase by £149 from October after Ofgem said it was increasing its price cap.
It means the price cap will increase by 10% from the current £1,568 for a typical household in England, Scotland and Wales to £1,717.
Ms Reeves defended that decision, which she blamed on a £22 billion black hole in the public finances inherited from the Conservatives, stating: “it’s not a decision I wanted to make.”
The policy is expected to reduce the number of pensioners in receipt of the up-to-£300 payment by 10 million, from 11.4 million to 1.5 million, saving some £1.4 billion this financial year.
The Liberal Democrat leader said the move would “hit millions” so a vote in Parliament is needed.
He told the BBC: “We haven’t had a vote. We haven’t had a proper debate. So what all the 72 Liberal Democrat MPs have done, we’re signing what’s called a prayer, which is a parliamentary process, to trigger a debate so we can represent people who have elected us.”
