Help us save Winter Fuel Payment for struggling pensioners, says Age UK

Charity believes c.2 million older people on low incomes or who are otherwise vulnerable are set to lose the Payment if it is means-tested and fears many will suffer hardship as a result

Age UK launches new national campaign to defend them

Age UK has launched an emergency petition to help save the Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) for struggling pensioners and after little more than 48 hours approaching 100,000 people have already signed it, showing the depth of feeling among our older population and their friends and supporters. The petition calls 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 2 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:

• Those who just miss out on Pension Credit because their very modest incomes are slightly too high for them to be eligible[i], usually because they have a tiny occupational pension. Many of them are women.
• 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.
• A million pensioners who don’t receive the Pension Credit for which they are eligible because they do not claim it[ii]. 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[iii]. 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.  This is just the first step in the sustained campaign the Charity expects to run on the issue, up to and throughout the coming winter and beyond.

Diana told Age UK: “It will be difficult as I have limited mobility so sit most of the day, I'm slightly over the Pension Credit threshold, the money gave me security not to worry about being cold.”

Trudy, 67 said: “We will find it very difficult to cope without our Winter Fuel Payment this year. My husband, who is 74, has thyroid problems caused by radiotherapy treatment for head and neck Cancer and the main symptom for him is that he is extremely cold all the time. Even at the beginning of July, he was still using an electric blanket at night to keep warm, so when the weather gets colder later this year, I'm worried we will not be able to afford to keep him warm.”

Alexander, 80 commented: “We cannot afford to keep the heating on NOW never mind without the Winter Fuel Payment it will be impossible to heat our home. With a serious heart complaint and diabetes this could possibly kill us at our age.”

Shirley, 76 said: “It will be difficult, as my husband is in heart failure. We have to run our heating whether we can afford to or not. It’s an enormous blow we cannot get pension credit as my husband receives a small pension of £198 per month.”

Caroline Abrahams CBE, Charity Director at Age UK said: “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.”   

To sign Age UK’s petition offline, people can request one by writing to FREEPOST Age UK Campaigns or asked a friend or loved one to print a template of the petition and send back to FREEPOST, Age UK Campaigns.