Last winter (2022-23), 11.4 million people received a winter fuel payment - which helps with the cost of energy bills during the colder months. This represents 8.4 million households. In South Shropshire, 24,824 people benefitted from the payment. Stuart has called into question the way in which the new government laid the regulations, which restrict the number of pensioners eligible for the payments to only those in receipt of a means-tested qualifying benefit such as Pension Credit.
New research has shown that five in six pensioners living below the poverty line are set to lose their Winter Fuel Payment following Labour’s cut. There are up to 880,000 households who currently do not claim Pension Credit. The Fuel Poverty Committee has reported a significant group of pensioners on low and fixed incomes may suffer genuine hardship due to the decision - including pensioner households with annual incomes above the £18,200 threshold to be eligible for Pension Credit.
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