THOUSANDS of pensioners who will no longer receive the Winter Fuel Payment are set to get grants worth £175.
Almost 10 million pensioners will not receive a Winter Fuel Payment which is worth up to £300 this year after chancellor Rachel Reeves changed the qualifying rules.
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From this winter the payments will be means-tested and will only be given to people receiving Pension Credit and several other benefits.
The cash were previously available to anyone over the age of 66 regardless of their financial situation.
As a result, many households are worried about how to make ends meet this winter and are looking for ways to get support with essential costs such as food, water and energy bills.
Some will be able to claim support from their local council through the Household Support Fund.
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The Government has given money to local councils in England who will then decide how to distribute it to people who are eligible for support.
What households are entitled to and how much they will get varies depending on where they live.
The current round of support is worth £421million after the scheme was extended until April 2025.
Tower Hamlets council has revealed a £1million package of support to help households this winter.
Some of this money will be used to provide grants worth £175 to households who will no longer receive the Winter Fuel Allowance.
Tower Hamlets council said it expects nearly 5,000 pensioners to be eligible.
Payments will be made to those eligible in the coming months.
Executive Mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, said: “Making the Winter Fuel payment means-tested will have a detrimental effect on pensioners who are already facing the rising costs of energy bills.
“This creates a risk that pensioners will not turn their heating on for fear of not being able to pay the bills, which is wrong.
“This is why we are stepping in and providing a £175 safety net for those who will be missing out.”
What is the Winter Fuel Payment?
Consumer reporter Sam Walker explains all you need to know about the payment.
The Winter Fuel Payment is an annual tax-free benefit designed to help cover the cost of heating through the colder months.
Most who are eligible receive the payment automatically.
Those who qualify are usually told via a letter sent in October or November each year.
If you do meet the criteria but don’t automatically get the Winter Fuel Payment, you will have to apply on the government’s website.
You’ll qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment this winter if:
- you were born on or before September 23, 1958
- you lived in the UK for at least one day during the week of September 16 to 22, 2024, known as the “qualifying week”
- you receive Pension Credit, Universal Credit, ESA, JSA, Income Support, Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit
If you did not live in the UK during the qualifying week, you might still get the payment if both the following apply:
- you live in Switzerland or a EEA country
- you have a “genuine and sufficient” link with the UK social security system, such as having lived or worked in the UK and having a family in the UK
But there are exclusions – you can’t get the payment if you live in Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Malta, Portugal or Spain.
This is because the average winter temperature is higher than the warmest region of the UK.
You will also not qualify if you:
- are in hospital getting free treatment for more than a year
- need permission to enter the UK and your granted leave states that you can not claim public funds
- were in prison for the whole “qualifying week”
- lived in a care home for the whole time between 26 June to 24 September 2023, and got Pension Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance
Payments are usually made between November and December, with some made up until the end of January the following year.
Tower Hamlets will also work to increase the number of pensioners in the borough who are eligible for Pension Credit but are not claiming.
It estimates that 4,500 residents could be eligible for the benefit, which is worth over £3,900 a year.
Pension Credit gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you are over 66 and on a low income.
It also opens doors to other support including the Winter Fuel Payment.
To be eligible you must have an income which is below £218.15 a week if you are single or £332.95 as a couple.
This is known as the “guarantee” part of the credit.
Even if your income is higher you could still claim if you meet other requirements, such as having a disability, being a carer, having extra housing costs or living with a child.
If you have more than £10,000 in savings then you may find that your payments are cut or reduced.
But it is still worth applying even if you only get a small amount of cash each week.
Residents have until December 21 to complete an application.
The London Borough of Tower Hamlets Outreach Team can support claims through its website.
Can I get help if I don’t live in Tower Hamlets?
To receive help you will need to check with your local council, which is in charge of distributing funding.
You can find your local council using the gov.uk council finder tool.
There should be information on your council’s website about how to apply.
You can also call them to ask for more details.
Each council has a different application process, which will vary depending on where you live.
This means that the criteria you will need to meet to access the fund could also vary.
In some areas you do not need to apply for help as your council will contact you if you are eligible instead.
What are other councils offering?
Residents in Birmingham can get £200 to help pay for household essentials including energy and food bills.
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Meanwhile, West Berkshire Council has set aside £45,000 for struggling pensioners this winter, with priority access for those no longer eligible for winter fuel payments.
In Devon pensioners and households receiving welfare benefits can apply to receive cash from the council’s £5million Household Support Fund budget.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.
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