Arthur Bowling, a retired office worker from Merseyside, said that having just £2.60 a week over the pension credit cap cost him £500 a month. The small excess above the limit of £218 a week meant he had a significant amount to pay towards his rent. The loss of his winter fuel payment also left him concerned about his health. The UK government has suggested means testing the winter fuel payments could help reduce a £22bn “black hole” in the country’s finances.
Mr. Bowling, who spent a month in intensive care with Covid-19 during the pandemic in 2021, expressed fear for himself and others. He needed warmth after his time in the hospital but does not know if he would be able to get through the next few months. He had been relying on the winter fuel payment to help him in the coming months but was now dreading the change in the weather and was uncertain how he would stay warm. He added that he was not a rich pensioner and felt like the government was saying it would only help him when he was left with nothing.
Approximately 10 million of the current 11.5 million people receiving winter fuel payments are expected to stop receiving them when the means test is introduced. However, about 780,000 pensioners in England and Wales will lose it because they are not expected to apply for the benefits that would make them eligible for it. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) estimates were released under freedom of information laws last Friday. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the decision in July.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously indicated that means testing could help fill a £22bn “black hole” in the national finances, but the move has come under scrutiny from the Conservatives and charities, who have expressed fears that it could leave some over-65s cold this winter. The state pension age in the UK is 66, but eligible 65-year-olds can apply for pension credits up to four months before reaching that age. Those receiving the credits may be eligible for a winter fuel payment of either £200 or £300, depending on their birth date and circumstances between 16 and 22 September 2024. People receiving other benefits, like universal credit or child tax credit, may also be eligible
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
