“This winter is going to be brutal for hundreds of thousands of Scottish pensioners on low incomes or living in fuel poverty who now face higher energy bills without the vital Winter Fuel Payment which they relied on.”
That’s the response from the charity Age Scotland to the UK Labour Government’s vote which scraps winter fuel payments for hundreds of thousands of pensioners in Scotland.
Every Labour MP in Scotland voted to cut the winter fuel payments, with the exception of two, who were absent from the vote – which is the same thing as voting for the cut , ensuring that the drastic measure will go ahead. It will have serious consequences for the health of many older people in Scotland.
Age Scotland continued:
“We can’t quite believe the UK Government has so doggedly pursued a policy which will make so many pensioners even poorer. By choosing a level for support so low that only 12% of pensioners are guaranteed to keep their Winter Fuel Payment and rushing it through so close to winter that huge numbers, who have no financial wriggle room, can’t possibly prepare is quite frankly disastrous.
“Pensioners on low incomes, who are disabled, in poor health, are unpaid carers, women, or from working class backgrounds are among those particularly affected by this devastating cut. The UK Government have offered nothing to help them if they are just above the line for Pension Credit.
“You cannot possibly believe that someone whose income is £13,000 a year can bear the weight of the UK Government’s flawed decision.
“The really difficult choices will now have to be made in countless homes across the country this winter.”
A report from Independent Age found that 2million pensioners across the UK lives below the poverty line and this number is rising.
Statistics released in March 2023 show that in 2021/22, there were 2.1 million (18%) pensioners living in poverty across the UK. This has grown, with approximately 500,000 more pensioners in poverty now than there were in 2012. There is also an additional 1.1 million pensioners who are financially insecure and living just above the poverty line.
Most affected are pensioners who live alone. A quarter of all pensioners who live on their own in the UK are in ‘relative poverty’ and 1 in 5 of those only have the State Pension and some benefits as an income. The figure is even worse for women pensioners who live alone. 19% of women receiving the State Pension are living in poverty. This is a national disgrace. And now it will be able many times worse with Labour’s cuts to Winter Fuel Payments.
The UK Labour Government expects the cuts to the Winter Fuel Payment to save them £1.3 billion in 2024/25 and £1.5 billion in subsequent years. The cost comes at a high price for pensioners many of whom will not be able to afford to heat their homes properly with the result that their health will deteriorate.
First introduced in 1997, the Winter Fuel Payment amounts have varied, but in most years the amount has been £200 for households where the oldest person is under 80, and £300 for households with someone aged 80 or over. In some years, extra amounts have been paid on top of the standard payments. For the winters 2022/2023 and 2023/2024, households received an additional Pensioner Cost of Living Payment worth £300 along with their Winter Fuel Payment. These payments are not being repeated for winter 2024/2025. House of Commons Library
The cut to Winter Fuel Payments comes into force today, 16 September 2024.
The DWP has not prepared a full impact assessment for the regulations because it says the changes will have “no significant new impact on business, charities or voluntary bodies.”
Fiona Grahame
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