Age UK launches emergency petition to help save the Winter Fuel Payment for pensioners
Age UK has launched an emergency petition to help save the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) for struggling pensioners and is calling on the Government to halt their proposed change to the WFP and think again.
The charity says that means-testing the WFP this winter, with virtually no notice and no compensatory measures to protect the poor and vulnerable pensioners who will miss out, is the wrong policy decision and will lead to hardship and distress.
That’s principally because this winter, Age UK estimates around two million struggling pensioners won’t receive up to £300 they rely on to help pay their energy bills as a result of means-testing Winter Fuel Payment. They comprise of three main groups:
The first is those who just miss out on Pension Credit because their very modest incomes are slightly too high for them to be eligible, usually because they have a tiny occupational pension. Many of them are women.
The second is for those with high energy needs because of disability or illness, and/or who live in energy inefficient homes which cost a lot of money to heat, estimated at 200,000.
The third is the million pensioners who don’t receive the Pension Credit for which they are eligible because they do not claim it. The problem of low take up with Pension Credit is deeply entrenched, with about a third of all those entitled to it consistently failing to claim it over many years.
The charity points out that the hit to many poor and vulnerable pensioners as a result of this decision is not the only one, they will receive this year, when it comes to help with paying their energy bills.
Pensioners will have up to £600 less this winter in Government support with their heating bills compared to last year because the Cost of Living payments brought in temporarily by the previous government have now stopped. Plus, the Household Support Fund is also ending in September.
Energy bills for a typical household are £1,568 now, around 29% above their winter 2021/22 levels. It is expected they will go up again in October if the energy price cap increases.
Against this worrying context, especially for those on low and modest incomes or whose energy bills are necessarily always high, Age UK is calling on the public to show solidarity and sign its petition to Save the Winter Fuel Payment for struggling pensioners.
Caroline Abrahams CBE, Charity Director at Age UK, commented: “The fact that so many people have taken the trouble to sign our petition within 48 hours and during the hottest week of the year shows the strength of feeling about the Government’s decision to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment.
“We believe that means-testing Winter Fuel Payment is the wrong policy decision because well-off older people will scarcely notice its loss, but an estimated two million others on low and modest incomes, or who have very high energy bills through no fault of their own, will also miss out when they really depend on it to be able to pay their fuel bills.
“What worries us the most is that we fear many will not be able to afford to stay adequately warm this winter as a result, potentially causing them enormous anxiety and distress, as well as undermining their physical health, especially if they are living with serious health conditions.
“And to make matters worse, this isn’t the only help with heating bills that pensioners are being asked to manage without this winter, compared to last. Cost of Living payments have stopped and the Household Support Fund has closed. Meanwhile, energy bills for a typical household are about a third higher than they were three or four years ago, and the energy price cap is expected to be lifted in October, so bills may well rise again.
“Some commentators have suggested that means-testing the Payment is fair because the older people who need it the most will still be protected, but the evidence shows this is sadly not the case. This is why Age UK will be campaigning shoulder to shoulder with older people over the next few months to persuade the Government to think again.”
Age UK recently announced the launch of a new initiative for older people, The Walking Tennis programme, which will take place in communities across England over the next two years.
