By GB News (World News) | Created at 2024-10-29 18:23:43 | Updated at 2024-10-30 17:25:29
1 day ago
The Labour Government's decision to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment has sparked outrage among pensioners across the UK.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed that the allowance will be effectively scrapped for most pensioners, with only those receiving Pension Credit and means-tested support from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) remaining eligible.
This move, designed to help plug a £22billion gap in public spending, has left many elderly individuals feeling vulnerable and abandoned, according to campaigners.
FairFuelUK is sounding the alarm that pensioners who fall just above the threshold for means-tested benefits, potentially leaving them struggling to heat their homes during the cold winter months.
One pensioner deeply affected by this change is Avril, a 76-year-old widow from Horsham.
She shared her concerns with the Chancellor via the FairFuelUK Campaign about how she will be impacted by the Chancellor.
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She explained: "I am a 76-year-old widowed pensioner with mobility problems, and I desperately need my small car to get anywhere.
"If the price of petrol rises, I cannot afford to leave home. I will be trapped there."
Notably, the pensioner as she falls just outside the eligibility criteria for support.
Avril added: "I do not qualify for the Winter Fuel Allowance because my income is just a few pounds over the limit to claim Pension Credit, and I cannot afford to have my heating on at all this winter."
The Labour Government's decision has faced criticism beyond just pensioners.
A survey by the FairFuelUK campaign revealed widespread dissatisfaction with Labour's performance.
Some 65 per cent of road users rated the government's performance as poor to disastrous.
Notably, 67 per cent of Labour voters share this view of the Government's actions in power.
Caroline Abrahams, the charity director of Age UK, hit back at the Government continuing on the path to means-testing.
She explained: "In defending its decision, the Government has sought to rely on the increase in State Pension coming in from next April, but that does nothing to help pensioners this winter.
"Moreover, our new financial analysis shows that by no means every pensioner will get as much as Government spokespeople tend to imply, nor will the extra money they are due reach them as quickly as may be assumed.
"Rather than trying to defend the indefensible so far as the impact of its decision on poor pensioners is concerned, the Government should accept the reality and take decisive action to protect them this winter.
"We know some older people are having sleepless nights because of their anxiety about how they will afford their heating bills.
"The Budget is the Government’s opportunity to put their minds at rest and we strongly urge them to take it."
