The Winter Fuel Payment scheme will provide a £200 payment to hundreds of thousands of pensioners later this year.
£200 Winter Fuel Payment for Eligible Pensioners
This year, the Winter Fuel Payment will only be available to those with the lowest incomes. Previously, all those over 65 were eligible for the payment, but the new Labour Government has changed the criteria.
It has insisted that many higher-income pensioners do not require the payout and that assistance should be directed towards those in greatest need.
Those born before September 22, 1958, will be eligible for the £200 Winter Fuel Payment if they qualify for other benefits such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, and Income Support.
People over the age of 80 may be eligible for up to £300. The Winter Fuel Payment is intended to assist more deprived pensioners with their energy expenditures during the colder winter months, when they will be need to use their heating more frequently.
The funds are typically distributed automatically to people who meet the requirements and are expected to arrive between mid-November and the holiday season. Some organisations have criticised the government's plan to reduce contributions this year.
Winter Fuel Payment Cuts Draw Backlash
While the wealthiest pensioners would no longer get payments, advocates believe that many people who are not very wealthy but no longer meet the threshold will lose out. Age UK has started a petition opposing the government's measures.
It stated: “The Government has announced that the Winter Fuel Payment will become means-tested in England and Wales. As many as two million pensioners who badly need the money to stay warm this winter will not receive it.
“Sign our petition to save the Winter Fuel Payment for the poorest pensioners.”